Surgical management of complications after hearing aid fitting

Standard procedures for hearing aid fitting performed in accordance with established guidelines are well tolerated, safe, and effective. In this article, we present unusual complications after hearing aid fitting that required surgical management.

Four otologists at a major university center with a combined 65 years of experience performed a retrospective analysis of their surgical practice. Six patients were identified that had encountered severe complications from improper earmold fitting that required surgical intervention.

One patient had a perforation of the tympanic membrane with earmold material found to have migrated into the middle ear cleft. The tympanic membrane healed spontaneously, resulting in persistent otalgia and a maximum air-bone gap. The earmold cast was successfully removed by means of a tympanomastoidectomy. Two patients with presbycusis and normal ear canals developed eardrum perforations and conductive hearing deficits. In both patients, earmold material was found partially occupying the middle ear cleft and removed by way of a transcanal approach. Three patients with prior canal wall down mastoidectomy defects and narrow external ear canals required microtoscopy under general anesthesia or canaloplasty for removal of impacted material.

Proper fitting of hearing aids performed by well-trained medical professionals results in a very low incidence of significant complications. Perforation of the tympanic membrane with impaction of earmold material in the middle ear or mastoid bowl may occur and can be successfully managed by standard otologic surgical techniques.