Benefits of Bone Conduction Hearing Aid in Children with Unilateral Aural Atresia

Overview

Journal Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital

Specialty Otorhinolaryngology

Date 2023 May 19

PMID 37204847

Authors

Davide Brotto

Flavia Sorrentino

Diego Cazzador

Francesca Maritan

Silvia Montino

Anna Agostinelli

Elisabetta Zanoletti

Alessandro Martini

Roberto Bovo

Patrizia Trevisi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the hearing benefit with a unilateral bone conduction hearing aid in a cohort of children with unilateral aural atresia.

Methods: Cross-sectional case series pilot study involving 7 children (median age: 10 years, range 6-11). All patients underwent pure-tone, speech, aided sound field and aided speech audiometry and Simplified Italian Matrix Test (SIMT) with and without bone conduction hearing aid (Baha 5 Cochlear). Cognitive abilities were assessed in 5 patients.

Results: The mean air conduction pure-tone average (PTA) of the atretic ear was 63.2 ± 6.9 dB, while the bone conduction PTA was 12.6 ± 4.7 dB. Speech discrimination score of the atretic ear was 88.6 ± 3.8 dB, while with the hearing aid it was 52.8 ± 1.9 dB. In the contralateral ear, there was no significant air-bone gap, and PTAs for air and bone conduction thresholds were within normal range (PTA ≤ 25 dB). The mean aided air conduction hearing threshold was 26.2 ± 7.97. Mean speech recognition threshold without the hearing aid was -5.1 ± 1.9 dB, and -6.0 ± 1.7 dB with the hearing aid tested with the SIMT. The mean score of the cognitive test was 46.8 ± 42.8.

Conclusions: These preliminary findings should encourage clinicians in proposing a unilateral bone conduction hearing aid in children with unilateral atresia.

Citing Articles

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The Role of Bone-Anchored Hearing Devices and Remote Microphones in Children with Congenital Unilateral Hearing Loss.

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The Effects of BCDs in Unilateral Conductive Hearing Loss: A Systematic Review.

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