Bone-conduction Hearing Aids: A Scoping Review

Aim of this paper is to present a literature review among bone conduction hearing aids particularly focusing on their surgical and functional outcomes. Methods: A detailed review of the English literature to date on bone conduction hearing aids and outcomes have been performed using Pubmed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Medline databases. The literature review was performed using the guidelines proposed by the study "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA)" for scoping review. Results: a total of 30 full text articles were included in this review, collecting 660 patients. All the studies examined reported an improvement, in terms of PTA and speech audiometry, following the implantation of bone-conduction devices. The subjective outcome of patients was also evaluated, which was positive in terms of improved quality of life perception. Conclusions: Bone conduction devices represent an excellent rehabilitative solution allowing adequate functional gain. Nowadays, the variability of devices consents an appropriate customization of the surgical indication based on the functional and general needs of the patient, to achieve a tailored approach.