Otolaryngologists at the Children’s Hospital of the First Medical Association of Lviv have restored the ability to hear to a defender who almost completely lost his hearing in combat. They performed the first bone implantation surgery in our region for an adult military man.
The 47-year-old Yuriy’s hearing began to deteriorate after a series of contusions he received at the front. As a result of repeated exposure to blast waves, the soldier’s auditory nerve was damaged. Over time, the man completely stopped hearing in his right ear, and his left hearing decreased by up to 30%.
One of Yuriy’s comrades-in-arms, who was treated at St Panteleimon’s Hospital of the First Medical Unit of Lviv, advised him to seek treatment from Lviv specialists. They referred the fighter to the otolaryngologists at St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital, who have extensive experience in implanting hearing systems.
Since the defender wanted to return to service as soon as possible, the specialists at the children’s hospital chose a method with a short rehabilitation period. They decided to perform a bone implantation surgery with the BAHA conduction system. After such an intervention, recovery takes only a month. St. Nicholas Hospital has been successfully performing these operations for children for four years. But this is the first time for an adult. And not only in this hospital and medical centre, but also in Lviv in general.
“Our otolaryngologists implanted an implant directly into the bone of the behind-the-ear area, which is attached with a magnet. When the defender’s wound healed, a processor was installed above his ear, which transmits sound through the bone to the auditory nerve and enables him to hear again. After Yuriy regained his hearing, he returned to service,” the children’s hospital of the First Medical Unit of Lviv summed up.