Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA)
摘要
A bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) is a hearing aid system comprising three main components: (1) a titanium screw implanted behind the ear, (2) an abutment fixed onto the screw and visible on the skin surface, and (3) an external sound processor. Its mechanism involves converting sound into vibrations that directly travel through the bone to stimulate the cochlea, bypassing the middle ear. Unlike traditional hearing aids, the BAHA is affixed to an abutment behind the ear and does not have any parts inside the external ear canal. BAHA was developed in the 1980s and is used by both adults and children. It is approved for treating conductive, mixed, and unilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The implantation procedure is straightforward and safe, characterized by a low incidence of osseointegration failure and minimal complications in soft tissue, with adverse skin reactions at the site of skin penetration being the most frequent. Patients fitted with BAHA typically experience enhanced hearing and improved quality of life.