Researchers presented their preliminary findings at the 11th International Conference on Cochlear Implants and Other Implantable Auditory Technologies in Stockholm, Sweden and the Danish Teknisk Audiologisk Selskab/Danish Technical Audiological Society in Vejle, Denmark.Bone-anchored hearing solutions benefit people with hearing losses due to malfunctioning of the ear canal or middle ear (conductive or mixed hearing loss) with an air-bone gap of more than 30 dB (PTA) and single-sided deafness. The Ponto Pro processor is part of the new Ponto bone anchored implant system introduced in 2009 by Oticon Medical, a global medical device company within the William Demant Group. The advanced digital and programmable sound processor is built on the proprietary Oticon Rise™ platform, one of the world's most advanced sound technologies. The BP100 is manufactured by Cochlear, the successor of the original Baha® manufacturer.
Twelve subjects with conductive and mixed hearing loss tested each device for an average of 34 days in their daily environments. The sound processors were fit in random order and according to the manufacturers' fitting guidelines. No fine tuning was performed. Subjects rated the sound processors at the end of each test period.
The study's statistically significant findings indicate the superiority of Ponto Pro over the BP 100 in speech perception and ease of use, two key parameters for bone anchored hearing systems.
Based upon trials in study participants' daily environments, Ponto Pro was rated significantly better than BP 100 when conversing with one person in a car and when listening to the TV or radio - two traditionally challenging listening situations for people that rely upon bone anchored sound processors.
Additionally, in an objective speech in noise test, measurement of speech reception thresholds (SRT) showed a statistical improvement of about 3dB in Ponto Pro's full directionality mode compared to its omnidirectional setting. This is equivalent to an improvement in speech intelligibility of approximately 30 percent. No similar improvement was evident in subject rankings of the BP100's directional versus omnidirectional modes. The speech was presented from a front loudspeaker and the noise presented from the loudspeakers placed at +/- 90 degree angles.
Subjects also found Ponto Pro significantly easier to handle in daily usage tasks such as changing the battery and adjusting the controls. Ease of use is an important benefit since bone anchored hearing solutions are an integral part of a user's daily routine. Typically, the processors are the first thing users put on each day and the last thing taken off each night.
At the conclusion of the study subjects were given the option to choose one of the processor models for their continued use. Of the original twelve subjects, eight study participants selected Ponto Pro and four selected the BP100.
The study was conducted by Steen Ostergaard Olsen, Henrik Glad and Lars Holme Nielsen of the Research Laboratory, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital, Rigshospitalet. The study was initiated and conducted with no outside funding or grants.
