Scotland-based physicians have conducted pioneering surgery to cure hereditary deafness with a piece of rib.
Brian Hogg, 29, was fitted with an implant called a Bonebridge - consisting of a piece of rib and a bone conduction implant - and given a new ear by NHS Lothian surgeons in Edinburgh.
He became the first person in the UK to have the Bonebridge device fitted in the ear, which is used when a patient is unable to use a conventional external hearing aid.
"This is a truly innovative procedure and I'm sure the device will make a significant difference to Brian and many other patients like him. The Bonebridge implant is intended to improve hearing by replicating the actions of the ear drum," explained Alex Bennett, an NHS Lothian ear, nose and throat consultant who performed the operation last December at the Lauriston Building in Edinburgh.
"A discreet audio processor, which is attached to the patient's head, picks up sound waves which are then amplified by the implant and passed to the inner ear through the skull bone. These sound waves are then interpreted by the brain as sound," he added.
Hogg was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome, which meant he could not wear conventional hearing aids as they are styled to fit in and around the top and middle of the ear.
"The Bonebridge implant is so light, it's practically weightless. It's tailored to most closely match my normal hearing range. When you think about how far mobile phone technology has come in the last 10 years, there have been similar advances in hearing aids," Hogg said.
Dr Ingeborg Hochmair, managing director of MED-EL, which designed the implant, also described the procedure as a "great success".
"Our innovative development of the Bonebridge will considerably improve the lives of patients. The Bonebridge is the culmination of decades of experience gathered in the development of hearing implant solutions," he added.
