Outcomes of a New Minimally Invasive Single-Drill Procedure for Installing Percutaneous Bone-Anchored Hearing Implants in Adult Patients.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the surgical and audiological outcomes in adult bone-anchored hearing system (BAHS) users who underwent implantation using a minimally invasive, single-drill procedure (MONO procedure).

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort design.

SETTING

University hospital.

PATIENTS

Adult subjects (≥18 yr), with conductive and mixed hearing loss, or single-sided deafness (SSD), who underwent BAHS surgery using MONO from 2021 to 2023.

INTERVENTION

BAHS implantation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Surgical and postoperative complications were investigated during the entire follow-up period. Preoperative unaided air- and bone-conduction thresholds, pure-tone average (PTA), air-bone gap (ABG), and monosyllabic word recognition scores (unaided- and softband-aided) were compared with the postoperative BAHS aided PTA, remaining ABG, functional gain, and monosyllabic word recognition scores.

RESULTS

Forty-four subjects aged between 20 and 70 (52 ± 15) years met the inclusion criteria. One subject (2.3%) required two punch incisions due to implant instability during surgery. Two subjects (4.6%) experienced adverse skin reactions. Pain (6.9%) and moisture (6.9%) at implant site were also reported. No other complications were reported over a mean follow-up time of 12.2 ± 5.7 months. The mean BAHS aided score was significantly greater than the mean unaided- and softband-aided scores. All subjects showed functional improvements after surgery (25-31 dB), and the average effective gain was 1.3 dB.

CONCLUSION

The MONO procedure was shown to be a viable option for routine BAHS surgery in adults. The auditory performance of the subjects improved postoperatively, and complications were minimal and easily resolved. Further studies are required to investigate the long-term outcomes of MONO in this population.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

4-Retrospective review.