The Cochlear™ baha® hearing system

The Cochlear™ baha® ( bone anchored hearing aid ) sound processor system has been successfully used to treat specific hearing conditions in Hong Kong since 1996. The technology translates sounds from a hearing processor, through a titanium implant, to the cochlea or inner ear. The vibrations received are perceived as sounds, and the patient “hears”.

Today, for the surgeon and the baha client, this simply translates to a direct bone conduction hearing system that is:

• surgically simpler with the Hong Kong incision,
• faster with single stage surgery,
• earlier for baha use with improved implant coating technology and design, and
• higher in fidelity hearing performance with the latest series of digitally programmable hearing processing systems.

                
Currently the indications by clinical condition for the baha hearing system include any of the following:

Conductive hearing losses e.g. congenital aural atresia, mastoidectomies
Mixed hearing losses e.g. post-irradiated nasopharyngeal cancer patients with hearing difficulties
One-sided total hearing losses ( or medically, single sided deafness, SSD)

How do we know if a patient will benefit from the baha processor. Simply we let them try it with a softband. If they like it, they are potential candidates for….

the only hearing implant system that “you can try before you buy”.
The Cochlear™ baha®  hearing system…..now, how much easier can it be!



Dr Gordon Soo, MD







Reference: www.entific.com.hk/

The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above.

Hearing loss treatment

 

 

The treatments vary depending on the type, site/s and severity of hearing loss. This is best assessed and diagnosed by an Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist. 

The appropriate treatment may be conservative observation, hearing aiding and /or ear surgery. For children with persisting “glue ear” especially when in both ears with notable signs of language and /or attention problems, a ventilation tube (grommet) can be placed into the eardrum by surgery. For patients with a perforated eardrum, this can be repaired by surgery.


For patients with bilateral complete deafness, a cochlear implant sound processor should be considered. This re-stimulates the deaf ear using an electrode array and some very clever speech software processing. The new sound that is heard will indeed be different. Speech and hearing rehabilitation exercises to re-learn these sounds would be required. Children do better than adults with these cochlear implants. Studies have shown that a child’s brain has a higher neuro-plasticity than an adult, and therefore a greater capacity to adapt to new sounds and learning development.

Reference information: www.entific.com.hk

The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above.

Hearing aids

 

 

 

Hearing aids are often the first consideration for patients with hearing disabilities. These aids can be similarly considered like glasses for visual problems. They do not require surgery and the advanced technology is relatively inexpensive. Patients can used them when they want and remove them as necessary.

There are many different types of Hearing aids available. They vary in size, quality, performance and therefore, price. Hearing aids should always be tailored to the different needs and hearing disability of the user. Hearing aids are however, not without their own problems. Patients may well find them uncomfortable or conspicuous to wear. This perhaps more so if the benefit offered is insufficient to meet the patients’ expectation and needs.

Conventional Hearing aids require a sound leak proof occlusion of the ear canal by the ear mold in order to work well. Patients may find the fitting ear mold a little uncomfortable to use. Also, slight movement could alter its position easily and this can create feedback whistling sound, when the amplified sound leaks out of the ear canal, and re-enters the microphone of the same hearing device. This is similar to the whining feedback during karaoke sessions when the sound is picked up by the same microphone in a reverberating circuit.

When properly prescribed and fitted, conventional Hearing aids are a good option to rehabilitate most hearing problems.

Reference information: www.entific.com.hk

The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above.

Hearing aids

Reference information: www.entific.com.hk

Hearing aids are often the first consideration for patients with hearing disabilities. These aids can be similarly considered like glasses for visual problems. They do not require surgery and the advanced technology is relatively inexpensive. Patients can used them when they want and remove them as necessary.

There are many different types of Hearing aids available. They vary in size, quality, performance and therefore, price. Hearing aids should always be tailored to the different needs and hearing disability of the user. Hearing aids are however, not without their own problems. Patients may well find them uncomfortable or conspicuous to wear. This perhaps more so if the benefit offered is insufficient to meet the patients’ expectation and needs.

Conventional Hearing aids require a sound leak proof occlusion of the ear canal by the ear mold in order to work well. Patients may find the fitting ear mold a little uncomfortable to use. Also, slight movement could alter its position easily and this can create feedback whistling sound, when the amplified sound leaks out of the ear canal, and re-enters the microphone of the same hearing device. This is similar to the whining feedback during karaoke sessions when the sound is picked up by the same microphone in a reverberating circuit.

When properly prescribed and fitted, conventional Hearing aids are a good option to rehabilitate most hearing problems.

Reference information: www.entific.com.hk

The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above.

Hearing loss treatment

The treatments vary depending on the type, site/s and severity of hearing loss. This is best assessed and diagnosed by an Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist. 

The appropriate treatment may be conservative observation, hearing aiding and /or ear surgery. For children with persisting “glue ear” especially when in both ears with notable signs of language and /or attention problems, a ventilation tube (grommet) can be placed into the eardrum by surgery. For patients with a perforated eardrum, this can be repaired by surgery.


For patients with bilateral complete deafness, a cochlear implant sound processor should be considered. This re-stimulates the deaf ear using an electrode array and some very clever speech software processing. The new sound that is heard will indeed be different. Speech and hearing rehabilitation exercises to re-learn these sounds would be required. Children do better than adults with these cochlear implants. Studies have shown that a child’s brain has a higher neuro-plasticity than an adult, and therefore a greater capacity to adapt to new sounds and learning development.

Reference information: www.entific.com.hk

The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above. 

I cannot hear in one of my ears!

Single sided hearing deafness (SSD) is not uncommon. There are all kind of reasons including accidents & trauma, medication, surgery, strokes, brain tumours, etc. However, usually the reason is never known (idiopathic) as in patients who experience sudden hearing loss of unknown cause. It has been suggested that overall, single sided hearing loss may be as common in our population as 12 in every 100,000 persons.




What problems do these SSD sufferers have?

SSD patients cannot hear clearly from one side, and therefore do not have stereoscopic sound i.e. they are unable to localize the source of a noise. Also in noisy environments, their only hearing ear is challenged by the useless “noise” that masks the useful “sounds” that they want to hear e.g. speech of a friend in an interesting conversation over cocktails in a crowded party. 

SSD patients also automatically modify their lifestyles to better suit their condition. For example, they will always walk and talk with family and friends standing, sitting and walking on their better hearing side. They will arrive at meetings earliest, not because they are the keenest, but so that they can sit strategically with their good ear to the meeting attendees.




What is the solution?

The state of the art evidenced based solution that is better than others on the market, is the  Cochlear™ baha® ( bone anchored hearing aid ) hearing system. The Cochlear™ baha® hearing system was FDA-approved for the treatment of single sided deafness in 2003, and has been successfully used to treat specific hearing conditions in Hong Kong since 1996. The technology translates sounds from an hearing processor, through a titanium implant, to the cochlea or inner ear. The vibrations received are perceived as sounds, and the patient “hears”.

How does the baha help with single sided deafness?

The Cochlear™ baha® hearing system is applied to the deaf side of the head. Sounds that it “hears” are conducted though the implant to the other good and normally functioning inner ear on the opposite side of the head. The good ear interpretes the sound as coming from the deaf side, and the brain does the rest.

Is the hearing normal then?

The hearing is not normal as there is only one inner ear that is functioning and translating sound from both sides. However the brain is able to understand the difference. For the patient, they can now hear sounds from their deaf side.





How do I know if the baha will help me?

The Cochlear™ baha® hearing system comes with a Softband™ for trial in a clinic setting. 
You will be assessed with the Softband™ and advised if the Cochlear™ baha® solution is the right one for you. 
If you are a potential candidate, you can try the Cochlear™ baha® processor in your different sound situations specific to your lifestyle….and then choose for yourself.



Dr Gordon Soo, MD 











The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above. 

The Cochlear™ baha® hearing system

The Cochlear™ baha® ( bone anchored hearing aid ) sound processor system has been successfully used to treat specific hearing conditions in Hong Kong since 1996. The technology translates sounds from a hearing processor, through a titanium implant, to the cochlea or inner ear. The vibrations received are perceived as sounds, and the patient “hears”.

Today, for the surgeon and the baha client, this simply translates to a direct bone conduction hearing system that is:

• surgically simpler with the Hong Kong incision,
• faster with single stage surgery,
• earlier for baha use with improved implant coating technology and design, and
• higher in fidelity hearing performance with the latest series of digitally programmable hearing processing systems.

                     





Currently the indications by clinical condition for the baha hearing system include any of the following:

Conductive hearing losses e.g. congenital aural atresia, mastoidectomies
Mixed hearing losses e.g. post-irradiated nasopharyngeal cancer patients with hearing difficulties
One-sided total hearing losses ( or medically, single sided deafness, SSD)

How do we know if a patient will benefit from the baha processor. Simply we let them try it with a softband. If they like it, they are potential candidates for….

the only hearing implant system that “you can try before you buy”.

The Cochlear™ baha®  hearing system…..now, how much easier can it be!




Dr Gordon Soo, MD

















The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above.

Hearing Loss (2)

Hearing loss in adults

Hearing loss may be acquired later in life. Causes include the long term sequelae of childhood ear infections like a perforated eardrum or cholesteatoma and hearing loss secondary to aging, ototoxic drugs application, noise-induced loss, barotrauma, occupation related noise exposure, ear surgery or intracranial brain surgery, intracranial tumours, unexplained sudden hearing loss, etc.

 

Hearing loss in one or both ears

Hearing loss can happen in either one (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral). Different hearing problems may co-exist in the same ear or in both ears. The severity of the hearing loss for each ear may vary from a mild loss (cannot hear someone whispering into your ear) to a profound hearing loss (cannot hear someone shouting into your ear) and anything in between.

Patients with a unilateral hearing loss, normal hearing ability may exist on the other side. These sufferers tend to hear only in one ear, and therefore fail to be able to stereo-localise sounds as other normal individuals i.e. they cannot tell the direction of sounds. They also particularly have problems in any noisy environment, such as in a meeting, restaurant, bar, etc. Here the voice of the speaker they are trying to listen to, competes with the noise of the background, which drowns it out. Hence it is hard for them to concentrate on one sound source and listen clearly. Certain adaptations in lifestyles are essential like cocking their heads to one side so the better hearing ear hears what is being said, walking always with friends / family standing on the side of their good ear, attending meeting early to sit in a position that would be advantageous to hearing better in the meeting, etc.

For patients with bilateral hearing loss, usually caused by noisy working environment over time and aging, they require a louder volume of sound stimulus in order to hear better. Turning the television, hifi, or radio up louder appears to do the trick but their family, friends and neighbours may, and do, find it disturbing.

 

 

 

 

Reference: entific.com.hk/

The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above.

Hearing Loss (1)

Causes of hearing loss

Hearing loss, is the loss of sound sensation and discrimination ability. It can be sudden or gradual. This loss can also be divided into two categories as either congenital (inborn from birth) or acquired hearing loss.

Congenital hearing loss is an hearing deficit since birth.

Acquired hearing loss happens later after birth. Some of the commoner causes are aging, trauma, long term exposure to loud noise, surgery of the ear/brain, infections in the middle or inner ear, and ototoxic drugs.

 

Hearing loss in children

Hearing loss in children is more commonly seen than in adults. This is because acute suppurative otitis media, which is an infection of the middle ear cavity, is the commonest infection of childhood. It occurs after an upper respiratory infection. The majority of these infections subside completely but it is not uncommon that some persists as a collection of a straw-colored fluid in the middle ear. This fluid has the consistency of “glue”, and when present, prevents the eardrum from moving normally. Hence children with acquired “glue-ear” will have a reduction in their hearing similar to water getting into their ear/s after a shower. This condition can exist in one or both ears.

In children, hearing losses should be investigated and treated as early as possible. This is especially true for children aged up to 7 years old as our speech and language development occurs in the first seven years of life. It is accepted that speech and language rehabilitation becomes more difficult and less successful, the later the hearing loss is diagnosed, and after optimal treatment.

 

 

 

Reference: entific.com.hk/

The information aims to provide educational purpose only. Anyone reading it should consult ENT Specialists before considering treatment and should not rely on the information above.