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Updated: Jan 14, 2026
Author Spotlight: Advancements in Impedance Monitoring for Cochlear Implant Surgery
Published on: August 4, 2023
Surgical Site Comparison of Two Active Implantable Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Hearing Aid Generations
Benjamin Loader1,2, Hana Stohlawetz1, Elisabeth Sterrer1,2
1Klinik Landstraße, Wiener Gesundheitsverbund, Vienna, Austria.
Objective:
To evaluate the surgical placement options, complication rates and audiological outcomes with two generations of a transcutaneous active bone conduction implant.
Design And Setting:
This retrospective chart review analysed all BCI601 and BCI602 implant surgeries performed in the period from March 2015 to April 2023 at a single centre. Surgical site of implantation, complication data and audiological outcomes including functional gain and speech performance in quiet were assessed.
Results:
Fifty surgical cases were extracted and analysed (BCI601 = 24, BCI602 = 26). The 4-PTA improved by 24.3 dB on average; speech in quiet improved by 33.9% at 65 dB SPL and by 34.8% at 80 dB SPL between aided and unaided conditions overall. The BCI602 had significantly better word recognition scores at 80 dB than the BCI601 (p = 0.0076). One case of wound revision and two explanations have been recorded during the observation period. The use of lifts was significantly reduced with the smaller BCI602 implant.
Conclusion:
While the newer BCI602 variant of the implant provides more placement options due to the reduced drilling depth compared to the BCI601, both versions provide a low postoperative risk of complications and significant functional outcomes.
