Objectives: Microtia with possible atresia of the external auditory canal belongs to the most common congenital developmental defects of the auricle. In such a case, a conductive hearing disorder is present. Conductive hearing disorder with a normally developed inner ear and auditory pathways can be cured with the help of the BoneBridge active implant for direct bone conduction.
Methods: In the case report, we discuss a 7-year-old patient with Grade 3 microtia, atresia of the external auditory canals and moderate to severe conductive hearing loss bilaterally. According to CT findings, the middle and inner ears are normally developed bilaterally. The patient is in dispensary at the local clinic due to moderate to severe conductive hearing loss caused by atresia of the external auditory canals. ASSR examination confirmed moderate to severe hearing impairment. Initially, he wore the BAHA 5 headband unilaterally to compensate  for his hearing loss. While wearing the BAHA 5 headband, responses to sounds of intensity below 20 dB were present. After consultation with the child's parents, we indicated bilateral implantation of the BoneBridge system on February 10, 2021. By implanting both BoneBridge bone conduction systems, the patient will gain better spatial hearing and speech understanding in noise. Insertion of the BoneBridge implant and its subsequent fixation with screws in the craniocaudal direction was performed on both sides. The procedure and postoperative healing were uneventful.
Results: After healing, the process of fitting the speech processor with the help of magnets was completed, which resulted in correction of  hearing loss to the level of mild conductive hearing loss bilaterally. Patient personally doesn’t notice any hearing difficulties at school and doesn’t have any speech problems.
Conclusion: The BoneBridge system represents an advanced implantologic solution for conductive hearing loss in ear canal atresia.

Bilateral implantation of the BoneBridge bone conduction system in a 7-year-old child with congenital bilateral atresia of the external auditory canals

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm, that on behalf of the Cochlear Implant centers of the Radboud UMC in Nijmegen and Erasmus MC Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam to invite you to attend the 16th European Symposium on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation to Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2023.

Yours sincerely, on behalf of the CI Centers at Radboud UMC and Erasmus MC,