Mount Sinai neurotologists routinely place bone anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) for patients with conductive hearing loss, or hearing loss that is from a problem with the ear drum (tympanic membrane) or ossicles (bones behind the eardrum that conduct sound). A bone anchored hearing aid bypasses the eardrum and ossicles and directly vibrates the fluid that is in the inner ear, which your brain is able to process as sound. For patients with ear canal atresia/microtia, prior ear surgery, cholesteatoma, cancer of the temporal bone, or single sided deafness, a bone anchored hearing aid can be very effective. In order for it to work best, the cells and nerves that transmit sound to the brain must be working well. This is in contrast to a cochlear implant, where the hearing loss is predominantly nerve-related. There are several types of bone anchored hearing aids, and the Cochlear BAHA connect is one of them. This model is visible through the skin and attaches to an external magnet which relays sound to the device. It is highly effective, very quick to place, and is safe to use with MRI. Depending on the type and degree of hearing loss as well as the reason for it, this or another type of device may be most appropriate.
George Wanna, MD, FACS Chair of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai Beth Israel Chief, Division of Otology-Neurotology Mount Sinai Health System Professor of Otolaryngology, and Neurosurgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Maura K. Cosetti, MD Director, Ear Institute at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (NYEE) of Mount Sinai Director, Cochlear Implant Program Mount Sinai Health System
Enrique R. Perez, MD, MBA Director of Otology-Neurotology The Mount Sinai Hospital Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology Mount Sinai Health System
Zachary G. Schwam, MD Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Division of Otology-Neurotology, Lateral Skull Base Surgery Mount Sinai Health System
