Lisa Christensen1, John L Dornhoffer. 1. Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Outside of classroom interventions, treatment for unilateral hearing loss in children has been limited. The purpose of this clinical capsule was to report on follow-up of a case series of teenage patients who received bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) to compensate for single-sided deafness. PATIENTS: Three patients (2 boys, 1 girl) 16 to 18 years of age with a profound sensorineural hearing loss in 1 ear. INTERVENTION: Bone-anchored hearing aid surgery was performed using a 2-stage surgical procedure separated by a 6-month period for proper osseointegration. Patients were fitted with a BAHA Divino (Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions, Molnlycke, Sweden) 2 weeks after the second-stage surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Results of the hearing-in-noise test (HINT), with speech stimuli at 0 degree azimuth and noise at 180 degrees azimuth, as well as results of the Children's Home Inventory for Listening Difficulties (CHILD) questionnaire, completed by both the patient and a parent. The HINT and CHILD were performed before and after BAHA fitting. RESULTS: There were higher CHILD scores postimplant, indicating improved child and parent satisfaction. Better results on the HINT postimplant indicated an improved ability to understand speech in noise. CONCLUSION: The BAHA appeared to be of benefit to these teenage patients with unilateral hearing loss.
OBJECTIVE: Outside of classroom interventions, treatment for unilateral hearing loss in children has been limited. The purpose of this clinical capsule was to report on follow-up of a case series of teenage patients who received bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) to compensate for single-sided deafness. PATIENTS: Three patients (2 boys, 1 girl) 16 to 18 years of age with a profound sensorineural hearing loss in 1 ear. INTERVENTION: Bone-anchored hearing aid surgery was performed using a 2-stage surgical procedure separated by a 6-month period for proper osseointegration. Patients were fitted with a BAHA Divino (Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions, Molnlycke, Sweden) 2 weeks after the second-stage surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Results of the hearing-in-noise test (HINT), with speech stimuli at 0 degree azimuth and noise at 180 degrees azimuth, as well as results of the Children's Home Inventory for Listening Difficulties (CHILD) questionnaire, completed by both the patient and a parent. The HINT and CHILD were performed before and after BAHA fitting. RESULTS: There were higher CHILD scores postimplant, indicating improved child and parent satisfaction. Better results on the HINT postimplant indicated an improved ability to understand speech in noise. CONCLUSION: The BAHA appeared to be of benefit to these teenage patients with unilateral hearing loss.