The effect of percutaneous and transcutaneous BAHA on hearing and subjective auditory abilities: A comparative study

Hearing loss significantly affects communication, social interactions, and the overall quality of life. The bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) is an implantable system that bypasses the outer and middle ear to directly stimulate the cochlea through bone conduction. This study aimed to compare hearing performance and subjective auditory ability improvements between transcutaneous and percutaneous BAHA devices using audiological assessments and Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale. This cross-sectional prospective study included 29 participants aged 14 to 69 years who had used BAHA for at least 6 months. Both Cochlear Baha System's percutaneous (connect) and transcutaneous (attract) implants were evaluated. Audiological assessments involved pure-tone audiometry, speech recognition threshold, and free-field (FF) audiometry, while subjective auditory ability was measured using the Turkish Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing scale (Tr-SSQ). Significant improvements in FF audiometry averages and speech recognition thresholds were observed with BAHA compared to without BAHA (P