Sophono BAHA Comes to North East India; First Successful Procedure at GNRC

–78 million Indians suffer from significant hearing impairment, which is more than 6.3% of the entire population

–20,79,000 people in Assam suffer from significant hearing impairment, 79,406 of them in Guwahati

–Half of all cases of hearing loss are avoidable through primary prevention

Guwahati based multi-speciality hospital group GNRC has earned the distinction of successfully conducting the first Sophono BAHA case in this part of India. A 49-year old lady from Manipur was the beneficiary of this unique achievement. Revealing the information at a press conference held at GNRC Sixmile yesterday, senior ENT consultant of the hospital and the doctor in charge of the procedure, Dr. Miklu Senapati, said: “ We are glad to inform you about this unique experience. The lady from Manipur was suffering from decreased hearing in both the ears for the last three years. Upon investigation, she was diagnosed with Bilateral Cholesteatoma with Bilateral Labrynthine Fistula and then had undergone right mastoidectomy with repair of Labrynthine Fistula. To continue the process, she was thereafter recommended Sophono BAHA and on her agreement we subsequently conducted the procedure. As per standard norms, we needed to wait for around 30 days to confirm the results of the procedure. We conducted the tests on Monday and the outcome has been positive. ” Sophono BAHA stands for Sophono Bone Conduction Hearing Aid. It is a magnetic implantable bone conductive hearing system. Here, the implant is placed under the skin, above and behind the ear.

During the conference, GNRC also released a study on deafness and hearing loss in the state of Assam. Releasing the study to the media, Dr. Senapati said, “ Over 5% of the world’s population, that is, around 360 million people has disabling hearing loss, according to a report by the World Health Organisation. Among these, 32 million are children. Moreover, 78 million Indians suffer from significant hearing impairment, which is more than 6.3% of the entire population. In case of Assam, this figure translates to 20,79,000 people with hearing impairment, of which Guwahati accounts for 79,406 cases. Though these figures are hard to believe, the good news is that half of these instances can be easily prevented with timely and proper primary intervention.”

Dr. Kuldeep Saikia, Medical Director of GNRC Sixmile revealed GNRC’s plans for sensitizing the masses about various preventive measures to arrest the increase in cases of hearing loss in the society