Surgically implanted hearing aids anchored to the skull bone appear to be a durable treatment option that noticeably improves hearing among children with deafness in one ear, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Single-sided deafness, also known as profound unilateral sensorineural hearing loss, affects between 0.1 percent and 3 percent of children, according to background information in the article. The condition is often associated with poor performance in school, learning difficulties and behavioral problems, often attributed to the children's inability to perform well in noisy conditions. Traditional, external hearing aids may improve comprehension and performance, but compliance is typically low, especially outside the classroom. "Thus, treatment options for profound unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in children are limited, thereby creating a source of frustration and a need for alternative treatments," the authors write.