Surgery is a success for Sarah as new technique restores hearing
A woman left deaf in one ear after an operation to remove a cancer in her face has become the first person in Lanarkshire to have their hearing restored using a new technique.
Sarah Campbell has praised NHS Lanarkshire after she was given a high-tech bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA), using a new method to fit the device that needs only a small hole in the skin rather than a more invasive surgical incision.
Sarah, 51, who lost part of her outer ear through the cancer surgery and spent four years without full hearing, is the first patient to benefit from the quicker and more comfortable way of fitting a BAHA.
BAHA, which has been used in Lanarkshire for only two years, is an alternative to a regular hearing aid for people with problems in their outer or middle ears. It transfers sound by bone vibration directly to the inner ear.
Sarah said:“I had a large lump beside my right ear and was shocked to find out it was caused by a tumour in my salivary gland.
“I had an operation that involved removing part of my face and replacing it with muscle and a skin graft from my leg.
“I was delighted when my surgeon explained that he could fit the BAHA in the less invasive way, drilling a titanium fixture into the bone above my ear so the BAHA could later be attached to it. That meant I would recover quicker and get my hearing back sooner.”
“It is amazing – I hadn’t realised how much I’d compensated for having hearing in only one ear. It’s great to hear simple things like traffic and the wind in the trees and it’s really helped at work where I use a phone headset.”
Consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon Arun Iyer said:“Sarah’s case was different because her hearing loss was due to the cancer treatment, not ear disease.
“Due to the effect on her external ear, no hearing aid was possible other than the BAHA.”