OSSEOINTEGRATED IMPLANTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHILDHOOD EAR ABNORMALITIES - THE INITIAL BIRMINGHAM EXPERIENCE

Over a four-year period 72 children with ear abnormalities have been r eferred for assessment by the extraoral osseointegrated implant team a t The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. Thirty-two children have b een judged suitable for rehabilitation. Twelve children have completed rehabilitation using bone-anchored hearing aids and/or auricular pros theses. Two fixtures (seven per cent of those loaded) have dislodged a nd required replacement. Audiological assessment of the bone-anchored hearing aid users shows only small improvements in their aided thresho lds, compared to thresholds obtained with their previous aid. However all now have thresholds of 30 dB(A) or better and report a marked impr ovement in sound quality. When surveyed, hearing aid and prosthesis us ers report high levels of satisfaction with this form of rehabilitatio n. The technique adds a new dimension to the management of children wi th aural anomalies. The approach and results of a multidisciplinary pr ogramme are reported.