Abstract
Background: Collapsed ear canals typically occur when an outside force, such as a headset for audiometric testing, is present. However, when a collapsed ear canal occurs without external pressure, this creates a challenge not only for performing audiometric testing but also for coupling a hearing aid to the ear canal. Purpose: This case report highlights the challenges associated with fitting a hearing aid on a patient with a severe anterior-posterior collapsed ear canal with a mixed hearing loss. Research Design: A 67-yr-old female originally presented to Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine in 1996 with a long-standing history of bilateral otosclerosis. She had chronic ear infections in the right ear and a severely collapsed ear canal in the left ear and was fit with a bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA®) on the right side in 2003. However, benefit from the BAHA started to decrease due to changes in hearing, and a different hearing solution was needed. It was proposed that a hearing aid be fit to her collapsed left ear canal; however, trying to couple a hearing aid to the collapsed ear canal required unique noncustom earmold solutions. Conclusions: This case study highlights some of the obstacles and potential solutions for coupling a hearing aid to a severely collapsed ear canal.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 276-282 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of the American Academy of Audiology |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 2012 |
Keywords
- Bone anchored hearing aid
- Collapsed ear canal
- Hearing aid