A Meta-analysis of the Complications Associated With Osseointegrated Hearing Aids

Abstract

Overall, the quality of large scale and/or prospective studies reporting the incidence of complications after osseointegrated hearing aid surgery is poor and lacks uniformity. However, based on available data, which shows a lack of major complications, osseointegrated implantation is a safe procedure in both adult and pediatric populations. Well-designed, prospective studies with uniform reporting standards would allow greater comparison between techniques and more reliable analysis of complications of osseointegration surgery of the temporal bone for cochlear stimulation.

Long-Term Stability, Survival, and Tolerability of a Novel Osseointegrated Implant for Bone Conduction Hearing

“…Skin reactions from Holgers Grades 2 to 4 ranged from 2.4% to 38.1%. The mean follow-up time ranged from 2 weeks to 78 months (3). This result should be compared with the largest retrospective analysis of osseointegrated implants for bone conduction hearing to date (not included in the meta-analysis) (4), which demonstrated implant loss in 8.3% of 1,132 implants, placed between 1988 and 2007.…”

Long-term Results of 185 Consecutive Osseointegrated Hearing Device Implantations

“…This did not occur among the children's group. Other studies describe the abandonment or non-use rate of OHDs to range from 0.7% to 19% in adult and mixed populations and 0% to 11.1% among children (9,12).…”

“…Major perioperative and postoperative complications are reported as rare (9). The most frequent complication is a soft tissue reaction around the titanium implant (9Y12).…”

Peri-implant bony overgrowth as a cause of revision surgery in auditory osseointegrated implantation

“…Commonly reported adverse post-operative outcomes include inflammatory skin reactions, chronic drainage, implant-site infections, soft tissue overgrowth, and failure of osseointegration with resultant implant loss [2]. These adverse events may necessitate revision surgery, or even implant removal necessitating alternative hearing rehabilitation devices.…”

“…These adverse events may necessitate revision surgery, or even implant removal necessitating alternative hearing rehabilitation devices. The most common indications for revision surgery specific to the pediatric population include soft-tissue overgrowth requiring excision, failure of osseointegration with implant loss, and recurrent infection [2]. Bony overgrowth at the abutment site with implant failure is a complication scarcely mentioned in literature.…”