Baha
Capital Region Otolaryngology offers surgical implantation of the Baha System from Cochlear Americas and has done so since 2002. The Baha System from Cochlear Americas is a surgically implanted system designed to assist those with two distinct types of hearing loss. This system takes advantage of the natural processes of bone conduction to deliver speech and environmental sounds to the cochlea(s) in the inner ear. A titanium post and abutment are surgically placed in the skull bone behind the ear. Approximately 3 months after this outpatient surgical procedure, an external sound processor can be snapped to the abutment. This device detects sound through its microphone. The sound bypasses the outer and middle ear structures and travels to the better-functioning cochlea(s) to be recognized and interpreted in the areas of the brain responsible for processing sound. No part of this system is placed in the ear canal.
Many people with conductive and/or mixed hearing losses as well as those with single-sided deafness are unable to benefit from traditional amplification in the form of hearing aids, but they can benefit from the Baha System. Causes of conductive or mixed hearing losses include chronic ear infections, otosclerosis and congenital anomalies or syndromes. For example, there may be an absence of the ear canal structure due to a congenital anomaly or an enlarged mastoid cavity and chronic ear drainage related to chronic middle ear infections. Causes of single-sided deafness, where one ear hears within normal limits while the other ear has no useable hearing, include sudden hearing loss, vestibular schwanomma removal and viruses. These individuals characteristically have not been able to derive benefit from a CROS hearing aid, an air conduction hearing aid designed for this type of hearing loss.
Cochlear Americas, the sole manufacturer and customer support center for the Baha System, provides a thorough overview of the Baha System at their website.
If you have additional questions about the Baha System or if wish to schedule an appointment to discuss this as a treatment option, please contact our office at 518-482-9111 or at albanyaudiology@yahoo.com.