Abstract
Objective: Bone-anchored hearing systems have proven to be an effective amplification solution for conductive, mixed, and profound unilateral sensorineural hearing losses. The Ponto bone-anchored hearing system has been available in the United States for 2 years.
Method: This multicenter study was performed to review our experience with the Ponto system in 99 patients from 3 medical centers. The mean follow-up was 6 months and the average loading time was 80 days. The linear surgical technique was used in 95% of cases. Clinical outcomes were measured.
Results: Of the 99 cases, there were no implant losses. Factors such as gender, hypertension, diabetes, body mass index (BMI), and smoking were investigated to determine any correlation between skin reactions that were found. Smoking was the only factor to be found significant in correlating to skin reactions (P < .05).
Conclusion: The Ponto bone-anchored hearing system is an effective and successful treatment option for conductive and single sided deafness. Factors were evaluated to determine skin reactions and implant survival. These include gender, hypertension, diabetes, tobacco usage, and BMI. Only tobacco usage seemed to be a significant factor in skin reactions.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.