Ponto abutments and tissue preservation surgery improve patient outcomes

Tissue-preserving surgery has quickly become the gold standard for bone anchored hearing implants. Recent publications have confirmed that minimally invasive surgery in combination with Ponto abutments is safe and reduces operative and post-operative skin complications.

Cosmetic and surgical advantages

Tissue preservation surgery leaves the hair follicles intact and produces virtually no scarring. Gordon and Coelho1 compared the punch technique with the previously used technique of soft tissue reduction and conclude, “In our experience, patients have substantially less post-operative discomfort following the punch technique.” 
Malou Hultcrantz, who first introduced tissue preservation2, recently published results on the Ponto implant and abutments3. These results reported no severe skin problems, numbness around the implant or cosmetic problems during the 12-month follow-up period.

Superior results with Ponto abutments

Shyam Singam et al.4 have published results on using the punch technique in 30 patients with a follow-up period of up to 42 months. Cochlear abutments were used in 8 cases and Ponto abutments in 22 cases.

Ponto abutments - a skin friendly concept

Three patients required revision surgery with tissue reduction due to persistent pain. All patients who experienced problems had received cochlear abutments. The authors suggest that success with the tissue preservation technique is dependent on the abutment shape and believe that the Ponto abutment with OptiFit™ design “…decreases the propensity for inflammatory reactions”4.

Ponto abutments improve patient outcomes and gives cosmetic and surgical advantages

Few complications

In the three studies1, 3, 4 mentioned above, a total of 53 patients received Ponto implants using the tissue preservation technique. In 95% of cases, there were no skin complications requiring treatment (Holgers ≥2). This demonstrates the excellent outcomes achieved using the Ponto abutment and tissue preservation surgery.

Reference List

  1. Gordon, S.A., Coelho, D.H., “Minimally Invasive Surgery for Osseointegrated Auditory Implants: A Comparison of Linear versus Punch Techniques”, Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, 2015 Jun; 152(6):1089–93. Epub 24 Feb 2015. 
  2. Hultcrantz, M., “Outcome of the bone anchored hearing aid procedure without skin thinning: a prospective clinical trial”, Otology & Neurotology, Sep 2011; 32(7):1134–9.
  3. Hultcrantz, M. “Stability Testing of a Wide Bone-Anchored Device after Surgery without Skin Thinning.”, Biomed Research International, 2015; 2015:853072. Epub 5 Jul 2015.
  4. Singam, S., Williams, R., Saxby, C. and Houlihan, F.P., “Percutaneous Bone-Anchored Hearing Implant Surgery Without Soft Tissue Reduction: Up to 42 Months of Follow-up”, Otology & Neurotology. Oct 2014; 35(9):1596–600.
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