[Efficacy of softband Ponto in young children with bilateral congenital microtia with aural atresia].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate auditory developments and the effectiveness of children with congenital bilateral aural atresia after using softband Ponto and to compare them with children with normal hearing.

METHOD: Twenty patients (age ranging from 3 months to 21 months ) with bilateral aural atresia were studied. The air and bone auditory thresholds were assessed by auditory brain stem response (ABR). The infant-todder meaning auditory integration scale (IT-MAIS) was used to evaluate the auditory development at three time levels: baseline, 3 months and 6 months.

RESULT: The average unaided bone conduction hearing thresholds of patients is (17.5 ± 5.9)dB nHL,and the average air conduction hearing thresholds is (72.5 ± 9.3)dB nHL. The average VRA hearing thresholds of 5 patients is (30.5 ± 5.9) dB HL. The IT-MAIS total, detection and perception scores are improved specifically after wearing softband Ponto and approaching the normal level.

CONCLUSION

Softband Ponto is suitable for infants with bilateral atresia. Results from these auditory development testing are encouraging. Softband Ponto should be used as a bridge for surgical implantations when temporal bone is thick enough.