A bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) is ideally indicated in a patient with:
- A Bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss with absent cochlear reserve
- B Bilateral moderate sensorineural loss with good word recognition but intolerance of conventional hearing aids
- C Unilateral sensorineural deafness (single-sided deafness) with normal hearing in the opposite ear ✓
- D Central auditory processing disorder with normal peripheral thresholds
Correct answer: C. Unilateral sensorineural deafness (single-sided deafness) with normal hearing in the opposite ear
Explanation
BAHA (bone-anchored hearing aid) has a well-established indication for single-sided deafness (SSD), where bone conduction bypass routes sound from the deaf side to the better cochlea via the skull, effectively eliminating the head shadow effect. It is also used in conductive/mixed hearing loss when conventional aids are not tolerated. Bilateral profound SNHL without cochlear reserve is an indication for cochlear implant, not BAHA.
Reference: Dhingra Diseases of Ear, Nose and Throat, 7th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.