Long-Term Results of the Linear Incision Technique With Tissue Reduction Versus Tissue Preservation for Inserting Bone-Anchored Hearing Implants: The Ongoing Optimization in Bone Implant Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the long-term outcomes of the linear incision technique with tissue reduction (LIT-TR) and the linear incision technique with tissue preservation (LIT-TP) for inserting bone-anchored hearing implants (BAHIs). STUDY DESIGN: Single-center retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Large general teaching hospital. PATIENTS: A total of 231 adult patients were included between August 2005 and October 2020, with a minimum follow-up time of 6 months. INTERVENTION: The test group received a BAHI using the LIT-TP (N = 147). The control group underwent surgery using the LIT-TR (N = 84). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Soft tissue reactions, skin thickening, postoperative complications (e.g., wound dehiscence), and implant loss were compared between the test and control group. Furthermore, Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB (Mölnlycke, Sweden) and Oticon Medical AB (Askim, Sweden) implants/abutments within the LIT-TP cohort were compared. Validated questionnaires were used to quantify patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). RESULTS: Significantly more cases with wound dehiscence and adverse soft tissue reactions (Holgers ≥2) were observed in the LIT-TR cohort (p < 0.001). However, the LIT-TP cohort showed significantly more cases with skin thickening (requiring treatment) within the first 2 years after implantation. There were no differences in implant loss rates, overall soft tissue reactions (Holgers >1), and overall HRQoL between the two patient groups. Significant improvement in the patients' HRQoL after implementation of a BAHI was found in both techniques. The Ponto Wide implant/abutment showed less frequent skin thickening (requiring treatment) and fewer soft tissue reactions compared with the BIA400 implant/abutment. CONCLUSION: This large-scale study demonstrates that the LIT-TP shows excellent long-term outcomes, including a low incidence of implant failure.

Mastoid obliteration with hydroxyapatite vs. bone pâté in mastoidectomy surgery performed on patients with cholesteatoma and chronic suppurative otitis media: a retrospective analysis.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and safety of hydroxyapatite vs. bone pâté as obliteration material in mastoidectomy surgery for patients with chronic suppurative otitis media and cholesteatoma. METHODS: This is a retrospective, multi-center, cohort study. All patients were followed up with micro-otoscopy, audiometry, and, if indicated, MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging. The following outcome parameters were analyzed: procedure safety (wound infections and complications), cholesteatoma recidivism rates (residual/recurrent), control of infection (Merchant's scale), and hearing results (pure-tone averages at 500/1000/2000/4000 Hz). RESULTS: Eighty-three cases were included: 45 obliterated with hydroxyapatite and 38 with bone pâté, with a mean follow-up time of, respectively, 25 and 24 months. Wound infections were only detected in the bone pâté group (4.8%) and successfully treated with oral or intravenous antibiotics and surgical drainage (p = 0.026). No other major surgical complications were observed in both groups. Cholesteatoma recidivism was observed in 15% using hydroxyapatite and 12% using bone pâté (p = 0.471). Complete control of infection (Merchant 0) was achieved in 76.2% using bone pâté and 86.8% using hydroxyapatite at 12 months postoperatively (p = 0.223). All patients showed good postoperative healing without complete failure to manage infection (Merchant 3). Pre- and postoperative audiometry showed significant improvement in hearing results in both groups. No significant difference between the obliteration materials was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of mastoid obliteration reveals that hydroxyapatite and bone pâté are safe and effective obliteration materials, with high success rates in achieving a dry ear, low recidivism rates, and good hearing outcome, respecting the short-term limitation. In addition, our study shows that hydroxyapatite results in fewer postoperative wound infections compared to bone pâté.