Do Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA) work well?

  The bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA), a special type of bone-conduction hearing aid, is the only implantable hearing aid that works by bone-conduction.  It has a wide range of applications, including patients with conductive or mixed deafness, unilateral very severe sensorineural deafness, external middle ear deformities, and chronic otitis media that are not suitable for hearing reconstruction. The results are especially good for children.  It is understood that bone-conduction hearing aids are used for deaf patients who cannot conduct sound in the outer middle ear but have a sound inner ear hearing system, and the sound is conducted from the skull to the cochlea through sensors to restore hearing. Because conventional bone-conduction hearing aids are uncomfortable to wear, can cause localized skin hardening and pain with long-term use, and have limited output, few people are willing to use bone-conduction hearing aids for long periods of time. The Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) is a titanium implant that is surgically placed behind the ear and fused to the skull. The microphone on the sound processor collects the sound and the microphone applies the vibration signal directly to the skull to stimulate the cochlea to hear the sound. Compared to conventional bone-conduction hearing aids, it works directly on the skull, reducing the influence of the scalp, making the reception of sound more direct and effective, with a certain sense of positioning, and comfortable and convenient to wear.  Bone anchored hearing aid implantation is safe, with no risk of further hearing loss, and patients are able to return to normal work within a few days. Since 1977, bone-anchored hearing aids have been the best treatment option for conductive and mixed hearing loss, with more than 70,000 beneficiaries worldwide. The Department of Otolaryngology at Children’s Medical Center has fully implemented this procedure and has accumulated a wealth of experience in making it safe and effective!  As the safety and efficiency of bone-anchored hearing aids become increasingly apparent, their development, along with the expansion of indications, will allow more patients to enjoy the right to effective, good hearing.