Along with offering the complete range of ear, nose and throat services, having a licensed neurotologist on our medical staff facilitates more specialized services here at Sierra View. Among these specialty services are procedures such as cochlear implants, ear surgery, bone-anchored hearing aids, computer image guidance surgery and more. To learn more about these procedures, please click on the appropriate links.

Ear Surgery

Thanks to our technologically advanced facilities and expert care team, Sierra View District Hospital is able to perform a variety of ear surgeries. With the help of state of the art equipment and procedures, our staff can surgically repair many ear disorders with the least invasive and most effective techniques available in the field.

Sierra View neurotologist Dr. Mark Reader performs such ear-related surgeries as stapedectomy, mastoidectomy, tympanoplasty, cochlear implants, and more. He can surgically treat diagnoses such as serous otitis media, perforations, congenital atresia, benign and malignant tumors, meniere’s syndrome, hearing loss, cholesteatoma, and others.

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Bone-anchored hearing aids

Bone-anchored hearing aids, or BAHA® implantations, are also performed at Sierra View. BAHA® is a safe and proven system that uses bone conduction to provide hearing restoration for those with ear canal problems that cannot be helped by a traditional hearing aid. The BAHA system is a subtle and effective treatment for patients with conductive, unilateral, or mixed hearing losses. The BAHA system has also been shown to be effective for those with Single-Sided Deafness (SSD).

How it works

The BAHA system uses a surgically-implanted abutment that transmits sound by conduction through bone to the inner ear, bypassing the external auditory canal and middle ear. A titanium "post" is surgically embedded into the skull with a small abutment exposed outside the skin. A sound processor sits on this abutment and transmits sound vibrations to the external abutment of the titanium implant. The implant vibrates the skull and inner ear, which stimulate the nerve fibers of the inner ear, allowing hearing.

The titanium fixture bonds with the surrounding tissue over three to six months after surgery in a process called osseointegration. The hearing aid can be used once osseointegration is complete, usually three to six months after implantation.

Entific's BAHA hearing aids have a patented snap-lock coupling which allows it to clip into the abutment. The BAHA is then treated as a regular hearing aid, running on small circular batteries which last approx 6-14 days. The snaplock coupling is designed to detach upon impact as a safety feature to prevent damage to the implant or surrounding tissues.

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Computer image guidance surgery

Sierra View District Hospital is one of just two health care providers between Bakersfield and Fresno to utilize highly-advanced computer image guidance surgery for sinus surgery candidates. The technology allows for a three-dimensional image of a patient’s head before and during the operation so surgeons can perform procedures with pinpoint accuracy. The technology can also shorten surgery time and is less invasive than traditional open sinus surgery procedures—meaning a shorter and potentially less painful recovery time for the patient.

The three-dimensional CT scan of the patient’s head allows surgeons to identify anatomic structures in the head and more effectively locate the diseased part of the sinus. External incisions are rarely necessary because an endoscope is inserted into the natural openings of the nose. The computer uses infrared signals to map the skull, providing surgeons with a real-time view of the location in which they are working.

Computer image guidance systems has revolutionized sinus surgeries in that the procedure can be performed with more accuracy and safety allowing most patients to go home shortly after the procedure—usually without gauze or packing in their nose. Thanks to the precision of the surgery, less tissue is damaged, meaning an easier recovery and healing process.

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