Leading otolaryngologists, neuro otologists and clinics in 18 countries have performed more than 3,000 implantations with Oticon Medical's Ponto System in the two years since the innovative bone anchored solution was first introduced. The Ponto System is Oticon Medical's first entry into the high growth bone anchored hearing market, designed to give new choice to patients with conductive and mixed hearing loss or sensorineural single-sided deafness. The just-released implantation numbers reflect strong acceptance for the Ponto system among physicians and surgeons throughout North America and Europe.
Early results of the first retrospective study on clinical outcomes of the Ponto implant system suggest that physicians may have good reason for choosing Ponto1 . The study examined the outcome of patients who underwent Ponto implantation at three leading institutions in the United States: Michigan Ear Institute, Arizona Hearing and Balance Center, and Georgia Health Sciences University.
A total of 98 patients (38 males and 60 females) ranging in age from 5 years to 79 years (mean age: 51.5 years) were included in the multi-center study. All had been implanted with a Ponto bone anchored system between November 2009 and June 2011. The mean follow-up time was 5.3 months. In 95 percent of the patients, the linear incision technique with tissue undermining was used. The study examined the rate of implant loss, the rate of revision surgery and the incidence of skin reactions.
The results of the retrospective survey clearly demonstrated the success of the Ponto bone anchored implant system. The study found no implant extrusion in any of the 98 patients implanted with the Ponto system. Nor was revision surgery performed in any of the cases. Skin complications did not occur in the vast majority of patients, and those that occurred were minor and successfully managed clinically.
Out of 98 cases, there was not a single case of osseointegration failure or revision surgery.
"The audiological benefits of the Ponto System have previously been documented2 and I am very pleased that we can now show the first clinical results on the Ponto Implant from a multi-center survey" says Jes Olsen, General Manager of Oticon Medical. "These clinical outcomes along with the newest implantation numbers for the Ponto system indicate that we are successfully addressing a clear need for choice and patient-friendly options for physicians, audiologists and their patients."
For more information about Oticon Medical and the Ponto System, visit www.oticonmedical.com or the Oticon Medical web channel on AudiologyOnline.
References:
1 Babu S, Fucci M, McKinnon B, Sockalingam R & Jernby K (2012). The Ponto Bone Anchored Implant System: A Survey of Clinical Outcomes. Oticon Medical White Paper. February 2012.
2 S. Olsen, H. Glad & L. Holme Nielsen (2011), Comparison of two bone anchored hearing instruments: BP100 and Ponto Pro. International Journal of Audiology 2011;50: 920-928.
