Clinical Results of Percutaneous Implants in the Temporal Bone

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Abstract
The bone-anchored hearing aid is an alternative to the conventional bone-conduction hearing aid, without the disadvantages of pressure pain or skin irritation and with direct sound transmission to the skull. The bone-anchored hearing aid is coupled to a percutaneous titanium implant, which is placed in the mastoid process in two surgical stages. We analyzed the clinical results of 68 percutaneous implants in 65 patients. After a follow-up period of 8 to 45 months, 97% of the implants were anchored in the bone. In 86% of the implants, no potentially dangerous skin reactions occurred. The occurrence of skin reactions was not time dependent. Movement of the skin, thick skin, and poor skin condition around the implant were related to the onset of skin reactions. This study showed that the percutaneous titanium implant forms a stable link between the bone-anchored hearing aid and the skull.