Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids

Bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA) operate on the principle of bone-conducted auditory stimulation. BAHA involves surgically implanting a titanium fixture into the mastoid portion of the bone. An external vibration transducer is attached to the fixture through a percutaneous titanium abutment. This vibration transducer is designed to directly stimulate the cochlea embedded temporal bone. According to the AETMIS assessment, which is, however, based on limited evidence, bone-hearing aids yield audiometric benefits, chiefly including a subjective post-implantation quality of-life improvement. These benefits emerge especially for users of bone-conduction hearing but also for those who wear conventional hearing aids and who suffer from chronic middle- infections.