Conclusion: The bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) system can offer significant benefits to patients with single-sided deafness (SSD), primarily by lifting the head shadow effect.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of BAHA for SSD by comparing pre- and postoperative speech, spatial and qualities of hearing scale (SSQ) scores.
Methods: This was a prospective study conducted within a tertiary auditory implant department. The inclusion criteria were unilateral profound hearing loss with normal or mild high frequency hearing loss in the hearing ear (pure tone average better than or equal to 25 dBHL measured at 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 kHz) and subjective benefits reported by patients following a home trial with a BAHA Softband. Patients who met the above criteria and opted for surgery were asked to complete the SSQ questionnaire. The postoperative SSQ response was collected after at least 6 months of consistent BAHA usage.
Results: This study included 25 adult patients (mean age at implantation 57.5 years). There was a statistically significant improvement in the average SSQ score in all three sections of the questionnaire with the use of the BAHA. Our patients experienced most marked benefits in speech hearing in challenging listening situations. All patients remain consistent users and there has been no explantation to date.