title: Auditory development after placement of bone-anchored hearing aids Softband among Chinese Mandarin-speaking children with bilateral aural atresia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate auditory developments of Chinese Mandarin-speaking children with congenital bilateral aural atresia after using Bone-anchored hearing aids (Baha) Softband and to compare them with matched peers with normal hearing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen patients (age ranging from 3 months to 6 years) with bilateral aural atresia and 29 children with normal hearing (age ranging from 8 months to 6 years) were studied. Auditory development was assessed at three time intervals: baseline, 6 months and 12 months. Infant-Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (IT-MAIS) was conducted for children under 4 years old; Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS), Chinese Mandarin lexical neighborhood test (MLNT) and sound field pure tone audiometry (PTA) were used for children of 4-6 years old.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean IT-MAIS scores were 41 ± 24%, 60 ± 22% and 73 ± 7%, respectively at three time intervals. Mean MAIS scores were 66 ± 7%, 90 ± 5%, and 99 ± 2%. Mean speech discrimination scores at the three time intervals were 74 ± 19%, 86 ± 16%, and 95 ± 4% with the easy disyllabic (D-E) list; 48 ± 18%, 73 ± 15%, and 81 ± 7% with the hard disyllabic (D-H) list; 55 ± 17%, 74 ± 22%, and 83 ± 14% with the easy monosyllabic(M-E) list; and 31 ± 14%, 61 ± 15%, and 71 ± 13% with the hard monosyllabic (M-H) list.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Baha Softband is suitable for infants and young children with bilateral atresia. Results from these auditory development testing are encouraging. Baha Softband should be used as a bridge for surgical implantations when the temporal bone is thick enough.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Suju
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, PR China. Electronic address: chenxw_pumch@163.com.
authors.forename: Xiaowei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D001299:Audiometry; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004423:Ear / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D053441:Suture Anchors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Auditory development; Baha; Bilateral aural atresia; Softband