Bone-anchored hearing aids and cochlear implants are both devices that can aid people with hearing loss. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the similarities and differences between the two and answer the question, “Is BAHA the same as a cochlear implant?”
What Are the Similarities Between a BAHA and a Cochlear Implant?
Here are a few of the ways that bone anchored hearing aids and cochlear implants are similar.
They Both Help With Hearing Loss
Both BAHAs and cochlear implants are implanted devices to aid hearing, although in the case of a bone anchored hearing aid, this can also be worn externally on a BAHA headband.
They Both Bypass The Outer & Middle Ear
BAHAs and cochlear implants can both be useful for people who have a malformation of the middle ear or ear canal as the technology used in both cases, bypasses these parts of the ear.
They Can Be Used at Any Age
Additionally, both bone-anchored hearing aids and cochlear implants can be used by people of all ages, including babies as well as children and adults.
What Are the Differences Between a BAHA and a Cochlear Implant?
It’s important to note that BAHAs and cochlear implants also have major differences.
How They Work
As its name suggests, a BAHA or bone anchored hearing aid, uses bone conduction to improve hearing. A BAHA processor is either connected to a titanium implant, which is surgically inserted or else worn on a headband. This then sends signals to the inner ear, bypassing both the external ear and ear canal.
A cochlear implant, on the other hand, works in a slightly different way. The cochlea is a snail-shaped spiral inside the inner ear. Under normal circumstances, it helps to conduct sound to the auditory nerve. A cochlear implant works by sending signals directly to this auditory nerve, not only bypassing the external and middle ear but also the cochlea/inner ear too.
What The Devices Consist Of
A bone anchored hearing aid consists of a processor, which is either connected to a surgically-fitted implant or attached to a BAHA headband.
The cochlear implant is slightly more complex and consists of an external transmitter, microphone and processor and internal electrodes, which travel through the inner ear (cochlea) and send electrical signals to the auditory nerve.
Who They Can Help
As a BAHA doesn’t use the external ear or ear canal to improve hearing, it’s an ideal hearing aid for people with conditions that affect the outer ear or people who can’t wear a traditional hearing aid due to issues such as a narrowed ear canal or chronic ear infections.
Bone anchored hearing aids are mainly used by people with moderate hearing loss due to conditions such as Treacher Collins Syndrome, Goldenhar Syndrome and Microtia, as well as for people with one sided hearing loss. BAHA implants do not restore perfect hearing but can help people to distinguish speech and other sounds in their environment to help them in their daily lives.
Cochlear implants, on the other hand, are better suited for those with profound hearing loss who can’t use a BAHA or traditional hearing aid. As with a BAHA, a cochlear implant doesn’t give perfect hearing but it can help those living with severe hearing loss. Most people who have a cochlear implant have bilateral hearing loss (on both sides) and reduced function in their inner ear. Many people who get a cochlear implant may never have heard speech or sound before getting the implant.
The Procedures Involved
Getting a BAHA implantable device involves having an operation to have a small implant placed inside the mastoid bone of the skull. There are two types of surgical BAHA available. An abutment BAHA is where the implant comes through the skin of the scalp where it attaches to the sound processor. A BAHA Attract, is a magnetic device that sits completely under the skin and connects to the sound processor via a magnet.
The surgery is performed under a general anaesthetic and you will usually be able to go home later the same day or the next day. You will be given antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection following the operation and you will have a follow-up appointment a few weeks after your surgery.
An alternative option to having a BAHA implanted through surgery is to use an external BAHA which is attached to a headband and worn on the mastoid bone (the large bone behind the ear.) This is ideal for babies and young children who aren’t yet old enough to undergo surgery or for older children or adults who would prefer not to have surgery.
As with a BAHA, having a cochlear implant fitted requires undergoing a surgical procedure under general anaesthetic. Typically, you will be able to go home from the hospital the following day. You’ll then attend an appointment 2-3 weeks later, once you’re healed from the surgery, in order to have your cochlear implant ‘turned on’ so that you can begin to experience sound through it. Most people with a cochlear implant also have therapeutic input following the surgery, in order to help them get used to their implant and make sense of the new sounds that their cochlear implant provides.
Get In Touch
We hope this blog has answered the question, “Is BAHA the same as a cochlear implant?” If you have any other questions about BAHA headbands or accessories, don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll do our best to help.
We’d also be more than happy to talk you through our products and designs and their different functions to make sure that they’re the right choice for you. You can email us at sales@bahaaccessoriesuk.com, call us on 07432 620644 or get in touch via the website. We look forward to hearing from you!