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Osseointegrated hearing implant surgery: outcomes using a minimal soft tissue removal technique
Karen Hawley1, Thomas J Haberkamp
1Cleveland Clinic Foundation-Head and Neck Institute, Cleveland, Ohio 44201, USA.
Objectives:
(1) To report on the results and complications arising from using a minimal tissue removal procedure for the placement of an osseointegrated hearing implant. (2) To comment on the advantages and disadvantages for this technique compared to current standard techniques.
Study Design:
Case series with chart review; 2008-2010.
Setting:
Tertiary care facility.
Subjects And Methods:
All consecutive patients undergoing osseointegrated hearing implant surgery with a minimal tissue removal technique were reviewed.
Technique:
A small incision (1.5 cm) with little to no soft tissue (fat only) removal with good skin to periosteum fixation after placement of implant and abutment.
Results:
Thirty-one adults were assessed (aged 18-86, range of follow-up 3-45 months). No patients experienced hair loss, significant numbness, cosmetic defects, or intraoperative or audiologic complications. Eight patients required some combination of antibiotic ointment, steroid ointment, and/or oral antibiotic for mild erythema around the abutment, and 3 patients required soft tissue revision. Five children under the age of 18 were also assessed. One of these patients required soft tissue revision in the operating room and 1 required removal of the implant.
Conclusions:
We have demonstrated comparable outcomes to other surgical techniques with less cosmetic and other associated complaints. This study indicates that a less invasive approach for the surgical implantation of the osseointegrated auditory implant may have merit.
