Outcome Evaluation of BAHA Attract System Implantations

Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHAs) are currently well-utilized for treatment of hearing-impaired patients with unilateral or bilateral mixed and conductive hearing loss as well as patients with single sided deafness. The objective of this study is to evaluate outcome of BAHA Attract system in terms of surgical, functional,audiological and cosmetic results This is a prospective observational study of 15 consecutive patients of single sided deafness (SSD) who qualified for and underwent BAHA Attract surgery at a tertiary care hospital over a duration of two years. Parameters analysed were: (1) Surgery and wound healing, (2) Post-operative functional results (Bern Benefit for Single sided deafness questionnaire (BBSSQ)), (3) audiological results (free field speech in noise audiometry in two situations: with signal from implanted side and from contralateral side), (4) Cosmetic results (introduction of novel Three Points Scoring System (TPSS). Clinico-radiological planning of surgical site for implant is also described.Mean surgical time was 39 minutes and healing was uneventful in 73 % of patients. All patients reported improvement in all ten hearing situations with maximum improvement for sound localization. Significant improvement of speech in noise was seen especially when signal was presented from implanted side. All patient had full score in TPSS for cosmesis except one patient. This was the same patient in whom clinico-radiologically planned site was discarded intraoperatively due to overpneumatised temporal bone.BAHA Attract system is safeand effective solution for single sided deafness with acceptable cosmesis.