Successful implantation of an active transcutaneous bone conduction implant system in 3-year-old children

Introduction The MedEl Bonebridge system is an active transcutaneous bone conduction implant system for patients with conductive and mixed hearing loss but can also be used in cases of single-sided deafness. Children above three years of age with a lesser bone thickness were previously mainly treated with a percutaneous osseointegrated bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) due to its low depth of insertion into the bone or an active middle-ear implant which does not require anchoring in bone but both of these interventions have limitations and risks of complications like dislocation and infection potentially leading to revision surgery. These complications can be omitted with active transcutaneous bone conduction implant systems. The second generation of the Bonebridge (BCI 602) features a decreased thickness of the implant with reduced drilling depth and can thus be implanted in younger children.