Audiological outcomes utilizing a transcutaneous ossseointegrated implant system in pediatric patients
Lisa Vaughan Christensen, Kristi Reed, Laura Smith Olinde
2019
Journal of Otolaryngology-ENT Research
Percutaneous bone conduction hearing aids have proven to be audiometrically successful, but too often result in soft tissue issues at the abutment site. To counter this possibility, a magnetized, transcutaneous bone conduction hearing aid has been developed, the Baha Attract®. However, only limited research exists to demonstrate efficacy and verification measures of the Baha Attract® System. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate audiologic outcomes when using the Baha Attract®
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... tic osseointegrated system in pediatric patients by measuring functional gain and post-implant user satisfaction with the Children's Home Inventory for Listening Difficulties (CHILD) scale. Research design: The authors used a retrospective chart review of pediatric patients implanted with the Attract® System from 2014 to 2017 at Cook Children's Medical Center located in Fort Worth, Texas. Study sample: One ear of fourteen pediatric patients aged 5 to 18 years with bilateral or unilateral conductive hearing loss implanted unilaterally (13 children) or bilaterally (1 child, 1 ear randomly chosen for inclusion) with the Cochlear Baha Attract® System. Data collection and analysis: Aided and unaided thresholds were collected for 14 patients. Effective gain testing occurred approximately three months after the initial fitting appointment. Additionally, results of the CHILD survey were collected from seven of these children. A 2-factor analysis of variance test was used to examine the audiometric data, descriptive statistics were employed for the CHILD scores and correlations were run between CHILD scores and 1) overall functional gain, 2) frequency-specific functional gain and 3) age. Results: Participants in this study showed a statistically significant improvement in bone conduction thresholds at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz when using the Baha Attract® System compared to the unaided condition. CHILD survey results showed a mean score of 6.5 and median score of 7 on a scale of 8. Correlation R values ranged from 0.14 to 0.79. Conclusion: For these children with conductive losses, a transcutaneous, magnetic osseointegrated hearing implant is a viable treatment option that provides significant audiometric functional gain. The CHILD results suggest that the children positively benefit from the implant, and that the perceived benefit may increase with age.
doi:10.15406/joentr.2019.11.00415
fatcat:rds7lgewnfc2diignv7ntrace4