Soft tissue infection around a skin penetrating osseointegrated implant. A case report

A case is reported where a female patient with bilateral otosclerosis received a bone-anchored and skin-penetrating titanium implant on which a hearing aid was mounted to improve conductive hearing loss. The patient developed an infection that did not cease despite intensive local treatment and skin-grafting. Eventually the implant was removed. The histological examination of the interface between implant and surrounding bone and soft tissues showed an inflammatory reaction in the superficial parts of the soft tissues whereas the deeper portions of the soft tissues and all of the bone tissue were free of inflammation. It is concluded that it is possible to maintain osseointegration in spite of an aggressive soft tissue infection around the implant.