AUDIOLOGICAL RESULTS FOR THE BONE-ANCHORED HEARING-AID HC220

Twenty-six patients with severe mixed hearing loss (PTA range 57 to 10 8 dB HL) were fitted with the ''super-bass'' bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) HC220 and divided into two groups. Group I contained 19 patien ts who previously used a conventional bone conduction hearing aid that had resulted in serious complaints. Group II contained 7 patients who had previously used an air conduction hearing aid that could no longe r be used because of recurrent otorrhoea. Sound field speech audiometr y for the patients in Group I revealed that for 7 patients the maximum phoneme score did not change, but that it improved for 12 patients wi th the HC220, compared with their conventional bone conduction hearing aid. In Group II, the maximum phoneme score improved for 3 patients, worsened for 3 patients and did not change for 1 patient with the HC22 0, compared with their air conduction hearing aid. Speech recognition in noise was difficult for most of the patients regardless of group. H owever, results were obtained from 10 patients, and 7 improved signifi cantly with the HC220 compared with their previous aid. Overall, speec h recognition with the HC220 was comparable with or better than a conv entional bone conduction hearing aid; however, compared with an air co nduction hearing aid the results were ambiguous.