Percutaneous implants in the temporal bone for securing a bone conductor: Surgical methods and results

Clinical results of an extended follow-up of percutaneous titanium implants for application of bone conductors are presented. A simplified 1-stage sur gical procedure is introduced. This study entails a consecutive series of 1 63 implants in 155 patients 9 to 80 years old who received a bone conductor coupled to a percutaneous titanium implant since June 1988 at the Universi ty Hospital Nijmegen. The maximum follow-up is 7 years. The bone conductor can be connected to a percutaneous abutment fixed to a titanium fixture anc hored in the temporal bone. Several clinical trials from different clinics have shown its efficacy in patients with a conductive or mixed hearing loss . In this study attention is paid to the following issues: the occurrence o f skin reactions, the condition of the skin around the abutment, the stabil ity of the fixture, and a simplified surgical technique.