[Bone conduction hearing aids with fluid medium].
In patients with chronic otorrhoea or middle ear pathology, traditional hearing aids which depend on air conduction are of little use. In these situations a bone conduction hearing aid is preferable. Such devices by-pass the middle ear cleft and ossicular chain by conducting sound waves through bone to the cochlea. To date, bone conduction hearing aids have transmitted sound via a vibrating transducer applied either to skin (transcutaneous) or to bone (percutaneous). Unfortunately, these hearing aids possess a number of disadvantages, which include: cost, aesthetic appeal, a general anaesthetic for percutaneous aids, and most notably pressure discomfort to the side of the head. To overcome some of these problems a new bone conducting hearing aid is being developed which differs from conventional aids in that sound transmission is through a liquid medium. This has been tentatively named the "Hydro-Hearing Aid" and a prototype is now being tested.
Siegert
R
R
Hals-Nasen- und Ohrenklinik, Medizinischen Universität zu Lübeck, Deutschland.
Rohweder
R
R
Witte
J
J
Weerda
H
H
D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001844:Bone Conduction; D002648:Child; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019736:Prostheses and Implants