HEARING IMPLANTS BONE CONDUCTION HEARING THERAPY
CHOOSING TO GET A BONE CONDUCTION HEARING IMPLANT
If you’ve determined that bone conduction hearing therapy is right for your hearing loss, the first thing to do is see an audiologist for a hearing test and for the chance to test out all the bone conduction hearing aid systems on the market.
A bone conduction hearing aid system is made up of two parts:
- A magnetic hearing implant
- The sound processor
Different hearing aids have different features to offer. Nothing you read will come close to trying bone conduction hearing aids for yourself. Of course, the single most important feature of any hearing aid is how well you hear when using it. Beyond that, there are a variety of other factors to consider before getting a bone conduction hearing system.
ABUTMENT OR ABUTMENT-FREE PROCESSOR?
The question of abutments (also known as “posts” or “screws”) relates to how you want to fasten the sound processor to your head.
You have three choices: Abutments, Magnets, and Headbands.
Abutments - Dating back to the 1970s, an abutment is the “original” way a sound processor would be held in place. This “per-cutaneous” (through the skin) procedure is fine most of the time but sometimes leads to complications.
Headbands - A headband of hard plastic or soft fabric can be used to hold the sound processor in place. Headbands are primarily used in pediatric cases, especially because no bone conduction hearing implant is indicated for children under the age of 5. Headbands are also a risk-free way for you to wear and test an Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ bone conduction hearing aid for a week, before choosing surgery.
Abutment-Free (Magnets) - A magnet implanted behind the ear uses magnetism to keep the sound processor in place. Recognizing patients’ preferences for an abutment-free solution, Dr. Ralf Siegert invented the first commercially successful “trans-cutaneous” (through unbroken skin) system that is the basis for today’s Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ device.
COMFORT
The Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ magnetic bone conduction hearing system features Patient-Controlled Comfort™. With the Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™, you’ll be able to switch the Attract® magnet spacer strength to your comfort and physical activity level. The Attract magnet spacers come in multiple strengths to allow for optimal comfort and are professionally fit and adjusted by your audiologist.
COSMETICS
The Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ processor is small, has a low profile, and can be hidden under the hair. Processors come in four elegant colors and can be accessorized with Skinit decals. With abutment-free hearing there’s no visible, skin-penetrating abutment to clean each day.
IMPLANT SIZE AND SAFETY
The Alpha 2 MPO ePlus device boasts the lowest profile implant on the market, a safe alternative to more intrusive implants.1
Other magnetic hearing implants sit above the surface of the skull and can cause a visible bump. The Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ can be implanted completely flat against the skull, hidden under your hair.2,3 The implant lies completely under skin and has low risk of skin issues.2,3 As a result, the low-profile implant is less likely to have severe complications after trauma — far safer for a more active lifestyle.4,5
A HEARING AID DESIGNED FOR YOUR DAILY LIFE
Our low-profile bone conduction hearing aid provides better speech comprehension and quality of life.6,7
DISCOVER HOWWILL A BONE CONDUCTION HEARING DEVICE WORK FOR YOU?
Find out which types of hearing loss may benefit from bone conduction hearing therapy to see if you’re a suitable candidate.
See who can benefitBONE CONDUCTION HEARING DEVICE BROCHURE
Read the brochure to learn more about bone conduction hearing therapy and the Alpha 2 MPO ePlus™ device.
DOWNLOAD BROCHURE
1
Based on physical characteristics of the implant.
2
Siegert R., M.D., Semi-implantable transcutaneous bone conduction hearing device with fitting on the day of surgery. Presented at the 29th Politzer Society Meeting, Antalya, Turkey, Nov 2013.
3
Centric A and Chennupati, SK, Abutment-free bone-anchored hearing devices in children: Initial results and experience - International Journal of Pediatric Otolaryngology 2014.
4
Siegert, R. Magnetic Coupling of partially implantable Bone Conduction Hearing Aids Without Open Implants, Laryngorhinootologie. 2010 Jun;89(6):346-51. “They could also pursue any contact sport without putting themselves and others under any increased risk of injury.”
5
Siegert, R. Partially Implantable Bone Conduction Hearing Aids without a Percutaneous Abutment (Otomag); Technique and Preliminary Clinical Results, Adv Otorhinolaryngol. 2011;71;41-6. “There is no increased risk for injury, whether for themselves or their sports partner.”
6
Marsella P, Scorpecci A, Vallarino MV, Di Fiore S, Pacifico C, Sophono in Pediatric Patients: The Experience of an Italian Tertiary Care Center. Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery 2014 Apr 8;151(2):328-322
7
Denoyelle F, Coudert C, Thierry B, Parodi M, Mazzaschi O, Vicaut E, Tessier N, Loundon EN, Garabedian E, Hearing Rehabilitation with the Closed-Skin Bone-Anchored implant Sophono Alpha1: Results of a Prospective Study in 15 Children with Ear Atresia. Presented at the Politzer Society Meeting, Antalya, Turkey; Nov. 16, 2013.
Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.