Bone conduction hearing aids ; Hearing rehabilitation ; Sophono
Abstract
Various bone conduction hearing aids have been widely used to improve hearing fuction for the last 30 years. Sophono®, a newly introduced device without percutaneous abutment, improved disadvantages of previously used bone conduction hearing aids. Recently, we experienced a case of Sophono® implantation in a patient presenting with mixed hearing loss followed by tumor surgery. The patient gained air conduction threshold of 60 dB HL compared to preoperative pure tone audiogram and a speech discrimination test in noisy environment showed improved results. Furthermore, the patient has had no cutaneous complications since implantation. The results of this case demonstrate the feasibility of implanting Sophono® in patients similar to this case. Considering its advantages of MRI compatibility and non-invasive surgery, as well as esthetical benefit, Sophono® implantation could be a preferable option for hearing rehabilitation.