title: A New Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Hearing Implant: Short-term Safety and Efficacy in Children.
abstract: To investigate the safety and efficacy of a new bone conduction hearing implant in children, during a 3-month follow-up period.
  
  
  
  Prospective, single-subject repeated-measures design in which each subject serves as his/her own control.
  
  
  
  Otolaryngology departments of four Austrian hospitals.
  
  
  
  Twelve German-speaking children aged 5 to 17 suffering from conductive or mixed hearing loss, with an upper bone conduction threshold limit of 45 dB HL at frequencies between 500 and 4000 Hz.
  
  
  
  Implantation of the Bonebridge transcutaneous bone conduction hearing implant (tBCI).
  
  
  
  The subjects' audiometric thresholds (air conduction, bone conduction, and sound field at frequencies 500 Hz to 8 kHz) and speech perception (word recognition scores [WRS] and 50% word intelligibility in sentences [SRT50%]) were tested preoperatively and at 1 and 3 months postoperatively. The patients were also monitored for adverse events and they or their parents filled out questionnaires to analyze satisfaction levels.
  
  
  
  Speech perception as measured by WRS and SRT50% improved on average approximately 67.6% and 27.5 dB, respectively, 3 months after implantation. Aided thresholds also improved postoperatively, showing statistical significance at all tested frequencies. Air conduction and bone conduction thresholds showed no significant changes, confirming that subjects' residual unaided hearing was not damaged by the treatment. Only minor adverse events were reported and resolved by the end of the study.
  
  
  
  Safety and efficacy of the new bone conduction implant was demonstrated in children followed up to 3 months postoperatively.
authors.affiliation: *Ear, Nose and Throat Department, University Clinic Vienna, Vienna†Ear, Nose and Throat Department, University Clinic St. Poelten, St. Poelten‡Ear, Nose and Throat Department, University Clinic Innsbruck, Innsbruck§Department for Hearing, Speech and Voice Disorders, University Clinic Innsbruck, Innsbruck||Ear, Nose and Throat Department, Krankenhaus der Elisabethinen, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Wolf-Dieter
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Baumgartner
authors.forename: Jafar-Sasan
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hamzavi
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Böheim
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wolf-Magele
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schlögel
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Riechelmann
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zorowka
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Koci
authors.forename: Tilman
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Keck
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Potzinger
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sprinzl
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001844:Bone Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006309:Hearing; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000601:surgery*; D046089:Hearing Loss, Mixed Conductive-Sensorineural / Q000601:surgery*; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013067:Speech Perception; D016896:Treatment Outcome