title: A comparison of the audiometric performance of bone anchored hearing aids and air conduction hearing aids.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the function of bone anchored hearing aids (BAHA) with conventional air conduction hearing aids (ACHA) by means of objective audiometric tests focusing on temporal acuity and consonant discrimination in quiet and noise, as well as subjective quality-of-life questionnaires.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary referral center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients using BAHAs because of profuse drainage from chronic suppurative otitis media, and a comparison group of healthy volunteers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Objective measures: sound field audiograms, duration discrimination, gap discrimination, and final and initial consonant discrimination in quiet and in noise. Subjective measures: Sanders' Profiles, MOS SF-36 questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Normal-hearing subjects always performed better than hearing-impaired patients in all tests. When the BAHA was compared with the ACHA, there were no significant differences in any of the measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The BAHA and the ACHA provided similar audiometric functioning in audiometric tests. The BAHA, although using a nonphysiologic sound conduction route, did not sacrifice temporal processing ability or speech perception in noise, and should be considered for patients with profuse ear drainage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. m.bance@dal.ca
authors.forename: Manohar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bance
authors.forename: Sharon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Abel
authors.forename: Blake C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Papsin
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wade
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vendramini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D001844:Bone Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010035:Otitis Media, Suppurative / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests