title: Baha implant as a hearing solution for single-sided deafness after retrosigmoid approach for the vestibular schwannoma: audiological results.
abstract: Skull base tumors and, in particular, vestibular schwannoma (VS) are among the etiological reasons for single-sided deafness (SSD). Patients with SSD have problems in understanding speech in a noisy environment and cannot localize the direction of sounds. For the majority, this is the handicap for which they try to find a solution. Apart from CROS hearing aids, Baha is one of the most frequently used systems for SSD compensation. 38 patients with single-sided deafness after retrosigmoid removal of a vestibular schwannoma underwent testing with a Baha softband from September 2010 to August 2014. Sixteen patients (42 %) finally decided to accept Baha implantation. Subjective experience with the Baha softband was evaluated by patients using the BBSS questionnaire immediately after testing. Objective evaluation of the effect was performed as a measurement of the sentence discrimination score in noise and side horizontal discrimination without a Baha and 6 weeks and 12 months after a sound processor fitting. There was a significant improvement in sentence discrimination in the 6 week (64.0 %) and 1 year (74.6 %) interval of follow-up in comparison with understanding without Baha (24.0 %, p = 0.001) in situations when sentences are coming from the side of the non-hearing ear and noise contralaterally with SNR -5 dB. Baha can significantly improve sentence discrimination in complex-listening situation in patients with SSD after the VS surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, University Hospital Motol, V Uvalu 84, 150 06, Prague 5, Czech Republic. jboucek99@seznam.cz.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bouček
authors.affiliation: Department of Phoniatrics, The First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Zitna 24, 120 00, Prague 2, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vokřál
authors.affiliation: Department of Phoniatrics, The First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Zitna 24, 120 00, Prague 2, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Libor
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Černý
authors.affiliation: Department of ENT, The Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Srobarova 50, 100 34, Prague 10, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chovanec
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, University Hospital Motol, V Uvalu 84, 150 06, Prague 5, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zábrodský
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, University Hospital Motol, V Uvalu 84, 150 06, Prague 5, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zvěřina
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, University Hospital Motol, V Uvalu 84, 150 06, Prague 5, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Betka
authors.affiliation: Department of ENT, The Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, University Hospital Motol, V Uvalu 84, 150 06, Prague 5, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jiří
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Skřivan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D046088:Hearing Loss, Unilateral / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000150:complications*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D013017:Sound Localization; D013065:Speech Intelligibility
keywords: Baha; Hearing in noise test; Retroauricular approach; Single-sided deafness; Vestibular schwannoma