Bone-anchored hearing aids 'beneficial' for hearing-impaired kids

Washington, Feb 22 (ANI): A new study has found that bone-anchored hearing aids appear helpful in improving hearing and quality of life in children with hearing loss in one or both ears.

"Since its introduction more than 30 years ago, the bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) has become an established treatment option for auditory rehabilitation in patients with chronic conductive or mixed hearing loss," the authors write as background information in the article.

Although the BAHA was most commonly fitted in adults when it was first introduced, it has gradually become a popular option for children with bilateral conductive hearing loss who are too young to undergo alternative surgical options.

Maarten J. F. de Wolf, and colleagues at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, obtained information about 31 children who were current BAHA users. Data were collected through questionnaires answered by the children and their parents. Eligible children were a minimum of 4 years old at the time of BAHA fitting, and had been using the device for one to four years. Patients with both bilateral hearing loss (16 children) and unilateral hearing loss (15 children) were evaluated.

"Overall, BAHA fitting can be considered effective and beneficial in children with bilateral or unilateral hearing loss," the authors concluded.

The report has been published in the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. (ANI)