Location
Suwanee, GA
Start Date
6-5-2025 1:00 PM
End Date
6-5-2025 4:00 PM
Description
Introduction: A 74-year-old female cadaver from a medical school gross anatomy lab was found to have a Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA). A BAHA is utilized in patients who suffer from conductive hearing loss in order to bypass dysfunctions of the outer and middle ear and directly transmit the sound waves to the cochlea. The most common etiologies of conductive hearing loss include cerumen impaction, middle ear effusion, congenital malformation, and ossicular chain fixation.
Methods: An assisted hearing device was observed during a routine medical gross anatomy course dissection. Permissions were obtained from the body donation program and the donor's family to allow documentation and publication of the case for medical education. The device was then removed, photographed, and measured. The external, middle, and internal ear, temporal bone, ear canal, and tympanic membrane were observed for any wires or anatomical anomalies.
Results: The bone-anchored hearing aid consisted of two magnets anchored just superior to the mastoid process, posterior to the left external acoustic meatus on the skull. The magnets were anchored with 5 bone screws beneath the dermis, allowing a transducer device to magnetically adhere to the skull. No wires were detected entering the middle ear or cochlea.
Examination of the left tympanic membrane revealed a significant rupture, characterized by a tricuspid valve-like appearance.
No pathology or medical assistive devices were observed in the right skull or ear.
Discussion: The medical device embedded into the left skull was devoid of wires entering the cochlea. This indicates that the device was anchored to the bone and served as a bone-anchored hearing aid. Perforation of the tympanic membrane was the likely reason the patient required a hearing device. The most common etiology of a ruptured tympanic membrane is middle ear effusion, which typically occurs in childhood. This case study provides valuable insight into the various treatments available for hearing loss. Hearing aids promote a patient’s ability to engage with the world, prevent social isolation, and avoid cognitive deterioration. Therefore, spreading awareness about how different hearing devices function is important for both patient and clinician understanding and management.
Embargo Period
5-29-2025
Included in
Case study of bone-anchored hearing aid
Suwanee, GA
Introduction: A 74-year-old female cadaver from a medical school gross anatomy lab was found to have a Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA). A BAHA is utilized in patients who suffer from conductive hearing loss in order to bypass dysfunctions of the outer and middle ear and directly transmit the sound waves to the cochlea. The most common etiologies of conductive hearing loss include cerumen impaction, middle ear effusion, congenital malformation, and ossicular chain fixation.
Methods: An assisted hearing device was observed during a routine medical gross anatomy course dissection. Permissions were obtained from the body donation program and the donor's family to allow documentation and publication of the case for medical education. The device was then removed, photographed, and measured. The external, middle, and internal ear, temporal bone, ear canal, and tympanic membrane were observed for any wires or anatomical anomalies.
Results: The bone-anchored hearing aid consisted of two magnets anchored just superior to the mastoid process, posterior to the left external acoustic meatus on the skull. The magnets were anchored with 5 bone screws beneath the dermis, allowing a transducer device to magnetically adhere to the skull. No wires were detected entering the middle ear or cochlea.
Examination of the left tympanic membrane revealed a significant rupture, characterized by a tricuspid valve-like appearance.
No pathology or medical assistive devices were observed in the right skull or ear.
Discussion: The medical device embedded into the left skull was devoid of wires entering the cochlea. This indicates that the device was anchored to the bone and served as a bone-anchored hearing aid. Perforation of the tympanic membrane was the likely reason the patient required a hearing device. The most common etiology of a ruptured tympanic membrane is middle ear effusion, which typically occurs in childhood. This case study provides valuable insight into the various treatments available for hearing loss. Hearing aids promote a patient’s ability to engage with the world, prevent social isolation, and avoid cognitive deterioration. Therefore, spreading awareness about how different hearing devices function is important for both patient and clinician understanding and management.
Comments
Awarded "Best Cadaver/Biomed Project Honorable Mention" at PCOM Georgia Research Day 2025