Surgical Procedure
Note: Newest surgical style with a single one inch long incision is much less invasive than pictured herein. Shaving of large area of the head is no longer necessary.
In adults, surgery is often performed under local anesthesia and as an outpatient procedure. The bone behind the ear is exposed through straight incision or with the help of a special designed dermatome. A hole, 3 or 4 mm deep depending on the thickness of the bone, is drilled. The hole is widened and the implant with the pre-mounted coupling is inserted under generous cooling to minimize the inevitable surgical trauma to the bone.
Most surgeons perform a reduction of the subcutaneous soft tissue. The rationale for this is to reduce the mobility between implant and skin to avoid inflammation at the penetration site. This reduction of the soft tissue has been questioned and some surgeons only perform a minimum of soft tissue work. Three to six weeks later the audiologist will fit and adjust the hearing processor according to the patient’s hearing level.
The surgical procedure has been described in detail by Tjellström et al. 2001
Read more about this topic: Bone Anchored Hearing Aid
Famous quotes containing the word surgical:
“With all the surgical skill and the vital rays lavished on him he should talk like a—like a congressman at a filibuster.”
—Kenneth Langtry. Herbert L. Strock. Prof. Frankenstein (Whit Bissell)