Active Bone Conduction Implant —Bonebridge in Chronic Otitis Media

Introduction: The Bonebridge is a semi-implantable hearing system, the first active bone conduction implant system in the world. The system consists of an external component and an internal component, which is positioned completely below the intact skin and contains a magnet that holds the audio processor over the implant.

Objective: This study aims to describe a case of Bonebridge implantation in a patient with chronic otitis media.

Case Report: A 39-year-old male patient (G. N. A.) presented with corrected right unilateral cleft lip and palate and bilateral moderate conductive hearing loss with air-bone gap of 50 dB, sequelae of chronic otitis media. He presented with bilateral modified radical cavity and meatoplasty, dry and stable, unable to be satisfactorily aided with conventional hearing aids due to instability of the cavities. Therefore, it was proposed to use the active bone conduction implant system—Bonebridge. For surgical planning we used the BB Fastview software that allows three-dimensional reconstruction of computed tomography scan. After analyzing the images we chose to position the internal device in the retrosigmoid area. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. Activation was performed after 30 days. In sound field audiometry he showed gains of 30, 20, 15, and 25 dB at frequencies of 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 Hz, respectively.

Conclusion: The transcutaneous bone conduction implant (Bonebridge) was a safe alternative for a patient with conductive hearing loss and anatomical limitations for the use of conventional sound amplification devices and with advantages over other bone conduction devices currently available.