Surgical Site Comparison of Two Active Implantable Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Hearing Aid Generations

Objective To evaluate the surgical placement options, complication rates and audiological outcomes with two generations of a transcutaneous active bone conduction implant. Design and Setting This retrospective chart review analysed all BCI601 and BCI602 implant surgeries performed in the period from March 2015 to April 2023 at a single centre. Surgical site of implantation, complication data and audiological outcomes including functional gain and speech performance in quiet were assessed. Results Fifty surgical cases were extracted and analysed (BCI601 = 24, BCI602 = 26). The 4‐PTA improved by 24.3 dB on average; speech in quiet improved by 33.9% at 65 dB SPL and by 34.8% at 80 dB SPL between aided and unaided conditions overall. The BCI602 had significantly better word recognition scores at 80 dB than the BCI601 ( p = 0.0076). One case of wound revision and two explanations have been recorded during the observation period. The use of lifts was significantly reduced with the smaller BCI602 implant. Conclusion While the newer BCI602 variant of the implant provides more placement options due to the reduced drilling depth compared to the BCI601, both versions provide a low postoperative risk of complications and significant functional outcomes.