Retrox – a semiimplantable hearing system with retroauricular sound conduction
Abstract
Different pathology of the hearing has to be rehabilitated by individual and sophisticated hearing systems. A lot of the patients suffering from a mild or middle sensoneural hearing loss have problems with their conventional hearing aids. The medical and audiological problems can often not be solved sufficiently by the technical possibilities. Also the cosmetic solutions are not satisfactory
The RetroX is a hearing system with a rnaximal open fitting especially developed for high frequency hearing losses. All outer ear effects are preserved and the occlusion effect of the conventional hearing aids is avoided.
The hearing system consists of two components with different function, a titanium tube system, which conducts the sound into the outer ear canal and the hearing aid behind the pinna. By an O-ring fitting the receiver of the hearing system case is connected to the titanium tube system which is implanted in the soft tissue of the outer ear.
The acoustic features of the hearing system as well as the indications and contraindications will be described. The implantation of the titanium tube system will be demonstrated and the complications as well as the treatment of the soft tissue after implantation will be explained. The fitting of the hearing system by telecommunication is possible. The efficiency of the hearing system will be demonstrated by the results of the audiological measurements and the questionnaire.
