title: Implant survival rate in bone-anchored hearing aid users: long-term results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the long-term survival rate of bone-anchored hearing aid implants, and to assess the number of patients who stop using their bone-anchored hearing aid.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients who underwent bone-anchored hearing aid surgery between September 1977 and December 1986 were identified from a prospective database. Data were collected from patient records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the study period, 143 patients were fitted with a bone-anchored hearing aid. Records from 132 patients were found, with a mean follow up of nine years. A total of 150 implants were installed in these patients. A total of 41 implants (27 per cent) were lost during follow up: 17 lost osseointegration, 16 were removed and eight were lost due to direct trauma. At the end of follow up, 119/132 (90 per cent) patients were still using their bone-anchored hearing aid.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite a high incidence of implant loss over time, a large number of patients still continued to use their bone-anchored hearing aid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. erikwallberg@hotmail.com
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wallberg
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Granström
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tjellström
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stalfors
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D020878:Device Removal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016348:Osseointegration; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D053441:Suture Anchors; D014025:Titanium; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014025:Titanium