Special Concerns in Small Children
Hearing is of utmost importance for a normal speech and social development. See review paper by Lieu 2004. The skull bone in children is often very thin and also softer than in the adult. Surgery is thus often delayed until the age of 4 – 5 years. In the meantime the child with bilateral atresia will be fitted with a sweatband round the head called the Baha Softband with a coupling for a Baha. This is often made already at the age of one month. These small babies often tolerate this arrangement very well. For further reading se Papsin et al. 1997.
The surgical reconstruction of a malformed or missing external ear canal is much easier when the child is older. One important advantage with the Baha is that the procedure is reversible. A child can be fitted first with a Softband and at the age of 4 – 5 years get an implant for a Baha. When the patient is older and radiographic examination has shown that the prospects for reconstructive surgery is good and can be successfully made, it is very easy to remove the implant.
Read more about this topic: Bone Anchored Hearing Aid
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