Determining Candidacy for a Cochlear Bone Conduction System

Bone Conduction Systems are indicated for conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss and single-sided sensorineural deafness.* The following guidelines may help determine the best system depending on the needs of the patient.

Types of Hearing Loss

Conductive Hearing Loss

• The conductive component of the hearing loss is > 30 dB. (There is an air-bone gap >/= 30 dB)
• With a bone conduction system, very little amplification is required, as the conductive component is bypassed via direct bone conduction.

Many patients with a conductive hearing loss can benefit from a bone conduction system. The conductive roadblock is completely bypassed as the sound is routed directly to the cochlea via bone conduction. Bone conduction systems can provide good audiological outcomes for patients with conductive hearing loss.

Mixed Hearing Loss

• The conductive component of the hearing loss is > 30 dB. (There is an air-bone gap >/= 30 dB)
• Bone conduction systems are designed to provide increased benefit in correlation with increased air-bone gaps.

For mixed hearing losses, bone conduction solutions are effective because they bypass the conductive element and only need to address the sensorineural hearing loss. Device connection type and sound processor selection will depend on the amount of sensorineural hearing loss.

Single Sided Deafness (SSD)

• Bone conduction systems are designed to overcome the shadow effect, improve speech understanding and provide 360 degree sound awareness.

In SSD, bone conduction systems bypass the deaf ear entirely and deliver sound directly to the hearing ear’s cochlea. SSD candidates with a large transcranial attenuation or a sensorineural hearing loss developing in the hearing ear may benefit from the additional amplification provided by the Baha Connect System or the Osia System.

Download the Baha Candidate Listening Test Quick Guide