HospiNews

KIMS Conducts BAHA Surgery

Anakha, a young girl of just nine years, who had no ears when she was born, is getting into the lively world of hearing. A gifted dancer, she can now dance to the tune of songs by listening to them. She has had this fortune of hearing well after she underwent BAHA surgery performed by cochlear implant surgeon Dr KG Mathew of ENT Department, KIMS Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram.

"Anakha had no external ears when she was born. In addition, she had no ear canal, no ear drums and no ear ossicles. Only the inner ear and hearing nerves were present. Since she was exceptionally intelligent, she conversed by way of sign language and also by understanding others' lip movements," explains Dr KG Mathew.

She underwent BAHA surgery in KIMS Hospital wherein a 'Titanium Implant' was fixed in the skull behind her ear. This titanium implant when attached to the processor has given back normal hearing to this child. "Patients who benefit from this surgery are the ones with deformed or no external ears, those who have long standing ear infection causing destruction of ear drum and ear bone/ossicles and those patients with one-sided deafness," added Dr KG Mathew.

Yet another advanced technology that is useful in patients with hearing disability is cochlear implant surgery. This is normally done for those who cannot hear due to damaged cochlea. This advanced surgery is also carried out at KIMS Hospital since 2004.

EH News Bureau