Bone conduction implants are designed for patients with untreatable middle ear conductive or mixed hearing losses and those who have a unilateral sensorineural hearing loss, or Single Sided Deafness. In order the bone conduction implants to treat effectively, patients must have at least one functioning cochlea.
Bone conduction implants are comprised of a tiny titanium fixture, an external abutment, and a detachable sound processor. The fixture is surgically implanted into the mastoid bone and forms a permanent, secure bond during a process called osseointegration. Via the abutment, the sound processor receives natural sound and sends it to the functioning cochlea using the skull bone as a pathway to bypass the middle ear. Candidates for bone conduction implants do not have a functioning ossicular chain.
Currently, there is only one type of bone conduction implant available the BAHA system from Entific Medical Systems.
