Long term benefit of bone anchored hearing systems in single sided deafness

CONCLUSION: Bone Anchored Hearing Systems (BAHS) can be expected to still be used by ∼85% of patients with single sided deafness (SSD) 5 years after implantation, and by ∼50% after 10 years. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the long-term use of BAHS and the reasons to stop. METHOD: This was a retrospective chart review of all 33 German speaking adults with SSD who had been implanted with a BAHS at one center and of whom the implant status and use of the BAHS were known. RESULTS: Ranging from 2.6-12.3 years after BAHS implantation, 21 implantees (63.6%) were still using their device (average use = 7.9 years). Seven (21.2%) had stopped using their BAHS because of insufficient benefit (audiologic reasons). The subjective assessment of the benefit of the BAHS differs significantly from the users. Five former users (15.2%) became non-users for reasons unrelated to their hearing performance, namely infections, implant loss, difficulties with the handling, or aesthetic reasons.