[Bilateral bone anchored hearing aid management of children with external ear dysplasia and/or ear canal atresia].

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVE

The literature gives hardly any information about the benefits for children of using a bilateral bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) as opposed to a bilateral conventional bone conducting hearing aid.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Within a period of 12 years, three children were selected for treatment with bilateral BAHA. At the time of surgery, the children were aged between 8 and 10 years. Two of the children suffered from Franceschetti syndrome and one child from Goldenhar's syndrome. The clinical course of these three patients is presented.

RESULTS

In all cases, treatment with BAHA was beneficial according to subjective and objective criteria despite localized inflammatory complications in two of the three cases.

CONCLUSIONS

The bilateral use of BAHA should be considered more frequently as an alternative to conventional bone conducting hearing aids even for children.