Clinical Presentation, Management, and Outcomes of Idiopathic Pain in Percutaneous Bone-anchored Hearing Implants

OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical features and investigate treatment outcomes of patients with idiopathic pain related to a percutaneous bone-anchored hearing implant (BAHI) and to propose management recommendations.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart analysis.

SETTING: Tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS: The clinical data of 14 patients who were treated for idiopathic pain around their percutaneous BAHI between May 2007 and February 2018 at our tertiary referral center were reviewed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain after treatment and implant loss.

RESULTS: All 14 patients received treatment with oral antibiotics. Nine patients received oral antibiotic combination therapy for 4 weeks, whereafter pain resolved in 4. Out of the five other patients, receiving either antibiotic monotherapy or shortened antibiotic combination therapy, pain resolved in two. In case of persistent pain (57.1%) after initial treatment, other pain management therapies were attempted, however all with only limited effect. Six patients (42.8%) underwent elective removal of the implant. In two patients spontaneous implant loss occurred. In two of the four patients who underwent reimplantation, pain relapsed. In one of these, pain resolved after the removal of the new implant. In the other patient, pain persisted, despite abutment removal. With exception of this latter patient, all other 13 patients were pain free at the latest follow-up. Cone beam computed tomography did not offer additional information regarding diagnosis or treatment.

CONCLUSION: Idiopathic pain in BAHI is a rare but bothersome symptom which can result in implant removal. After oral antibiotic combination treatment, symptoms resolved in approximately 40% of patients. Therefore, we think conservative treatment with these antibiotics before implant removal surgery, is worth considering.