title: [Multicenter clinical study of bone-anchored hearing aids in Japan--application for congenital auricular atresia].
abstract: The effectiveness of bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA) for the patients with congenital aural atresia was evaluated by multicenter clinical study in Japan. Twenty patients (17 bilateral and 3 hemilateral) of congenital auricular atresia were registered for this study and finally, 18 of them (15 bilateral and 3 unilateral) were subjected to further evaluation. Primary endpoint of this study was free sound-field pure-tone audiometory and speech threshold hearing test in quiet and noisy circumstances. Secondary endpoint of this study was patient's satisfaction based upon APHAB (Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit) questionnaire survey. These results were compared between before and 12 weeks after BAHA surgery. Both hearing level of pure tone and speech threshold significantly improved after BAHA surgery. APHAB scores also suggested the improvement of the QOL after BAHA usage, except for the scores that concerned with unpleasantness of noisy sound. BAHA is one of the useful options for the treatment of congenital auricular atresia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Okayama University, Okayama.
authors.forename: Kunihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kariya
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagayasu
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Toshimitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kumakawa
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Usami
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.forename: Kiyofumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gyo
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tono
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishizaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D001842:Bone and Bones; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006801:Humans; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation