Bone anchored hearing devices overcome middle ear damage

A recent recipient, Thersia Broodryk had had a long and winding road, spanning nearly a decade of multiple surgeries that rendered little or no improvement to her hearing. "I had problems with my ears since I was a child. They were chronically infected to the point that my right eardrum burst. The damage was so severe that both my ear canal and eardrum of my right ear was so heavily scarred that the scar tissue blocked my ear canal entirely," says Broodryk.

Her audiologist confirmed that she was suffering from conductive hearing loss that occurs when there is an obstacle somewhere in the outer and/or middle ear that stops airborne sound waves from reaching the inner ear and a conventional hearing aid could not address her hearing loss.

She found the solution in the form of Oticon Medical's Ponto, a bone anchored implant.

"At the company, more than a century of experience in audiology and sound processing is being combined with decades of pioneering experience in hearing implant technology. Our connection to Oticon gives us unique access to knowledge, resources and technology. It also empowers us to bring progress to bone anchored hearing systems," says Olivia de Abreu from Oticon Medical.

Broodryk's circumstances were investigated thoroughly and she was identified as a good candidate to receive a bone anchored hearing device, as it would bypass the scarring in her ear canal completely. She was given a test device that she had for a month to ascertain that it was the right solution for her.

Her surgical procedure was scheduled for November 2013. "I was home within a day and experienced minimal discomfort. It felt as if someone had pulled my hair hard. It takes about six weeks for the implant to heal completely and during that time, I could feel that there was a foreign object in my head. You do however get used to it very quickly and at present I don't even notice it anymore," she explains.

"In the past I had to ask people to repeat themselves over and over again and I often replied to what I thought I heard. In social settings I went as far as laughing along, pretending that I was part of the conversation even though I couldn't hear a word.

The sound processor was fitted to her implant on Friday, 10 January 2014. "It is absolutely wonderful to be able to hear. The clarity of sounds around me was almost overwhelming. I could hear people speaking behind me, could hear footsteps on the ground, even the sound that tyres make on the gravel. I can listen to the radio, watch TV and have a normal conversation with a person, without having to guess what they are saying. I had to learn how to 'listen' all over again and I have become so used to it, that I actually miss it when I am not using it."

Though it is a very expensive procedure, she says it is worth it. "I saved for a year and a half but what I received in return far outweighs the wait. I have my life back. I can do my work with confidence and I can hear every word that my husband says to me, which is more precious than anything on this earth," concludes Broodryk.