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Objective: To evaluate possible increases in bone conduction (BC) hearing thresholds in patients undergoing subtotal petrosectomy (SP) with fat obliteration and blind sac closure of the outer ear canal and subsequent round window vibroplasty., Patients and Interventions: Between 1997 and 2013, 43 patients (45 ears) with combined hearing loss and recurrent chronic otitis or status post formation of a radical cavity underwent SP around 6 months prior to implantation of a Vibrant SoundbridgeTM. Pure tone audiograms (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, and 6 kHz) prior to SP, after SP, prior to implantation, after implantation, and at first fitting around 5 weeks after implantation were collected and statistically analyzed., Results: The comparison between BC thresholds before SP and at first fitting showed an overall decline during the two-step procedure between 2.8 and 6 dB that was significant (p < 0.05, Student t test) at 2, 3, 4, and 6 kHz., Conclusion: In some cases, SP is the only way to eradicate chronic otitis and to achieve a suitable environment for the implantation of active middle ear implants. The present data demonstrate a relatively small but significant decline in BC thresholds throughout the whole procedure. Knowledge of its extent is mandatory for a correct indication for later implantation of a Vibrant SoundbridgeTM., (© 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and performance of three novel vibroplasty couplers that allow attachment of the floating mass transducer of a transcutaneous active middle ear implant (AMEI) to the round window (RW) membrane, the long process (LP), or the incus body and the short process (SP) of the incus. Methods: Retrospective multicenter cohort study of 25 AMEI users with sensorineural or mixed hearing loss that were among the first implanted with an AMEI vibrating ossicular prosthesis in combination with the third generation of vibroplasty couplers between 2014 and 2016. Main Outcome Measures were bone-conduction pure-tone and vibroplasty thresholds, postoperative aided sound field thresholds and postoperative aided word recognition score (WRS). Results: Bone conduction threshold changes of more than 10 dB in 4PTABC were observed in two subjects. A mean improvement of 57.8% in speech recognition was observed with a mean WRS at 65 dB SPL improving from 14.8% (SD 21.9%) preoperatively to a mean aided score of 72.6% (SD 18.6%). Sound field thresholds improved from an average 4PTASF of 64.1 dB HL (SD 9.8 dB HL) to 37.0 dB HL (SD 8.9 dB HL), resulting in a mean functional gain of 27.1 dB. There was no significant difference in WRS or functional gain between the coupler types. Conclusion: Initial experience shows that all three third generation vibroplasty couplers represent safe and efficient attachment options for the FMT allowing the surgeon to choose the coupling type based on the present pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the long-term safety and performance of four different vibroplasty couplers (round window, oval window, CliP and Bell coupler) in combination with an active middle ear implant.Methods: This was a multicentre, prospective, long-term study including 5 German hospitals. Thirty adult subjects suffering from conductive or mixed hearing loss were initially enrolled for the study, 24 of these were included in the final analysis with up to 36 months of postsurgical follow-up data. Bone conduction and air conduction were measured pre- and postoperatively to evalu ate safety. Postoperative aided sound field thresholds and Freiburger monosyllable word recognition scores were compared to unaided pre-implantation results to confirm performance. Additional speech tests compared postoperative unaided with aided results. To determine patient satisfaction, an established quality-of-life questionnaire developed for conventional hearing aid usage was administered to all subjects.Results: Mean postoperative bone conduction thresholds remained stable throughout the whole study period. Mean functional gain for all couplers investigated was 38.5 ± 11.4 dB HL (12 months) and 38.8 ± 12.5 dB HL (36 months). Mean word recognition scores at 65 dB SPL increased from 2.9% in the unaided by 64.2% to 67.1% in the aided situation. The mean postoperative speech reception in quiet (or 50% understanding of words in sentences) shows a speech intelligibility improvement at 36 months of 17.8 ± 12.4 dB SPL over the unaided condition. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improved by 5.9 ± 7.2 dB SNR over the unaided condition. High subjective device satisfaction was reflected by the International Inventory for Hearing Aids scored very positively.Conclusion: A significant improvement was seen with all couplers, and audiological performance did not significantly differ between 12 and 36 months after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of round window (RW), oval window (OW), CliP and Bell couplers for use with an active middle ear implant.Methods: This is a multicenter, long-term, prospective trial with consecutive enrollment, involving 6 university hospitals in Germany. Bone conduction, air conduction, implant-aided warble-tone thresholds and Freiburger monosyllable word recognition scores were compared with unaided preimplantation results in 28 moderate-to-profound hearing-impaired patients after 12 months of follow-up. All patients had previously undergone failed reconstruction surgeries (up to 5 or more). In a subset of patients, additional speech tests at 12 months postoperatively were used to compare the aided with the unaided condition after implantation with the processor switched off. An established quality-of-life questionnaire for hearing aids was used to determine patient satisfaction.Results: Postoperative bone conduction remained stable. Mean functional gain for all couplers was 37 dB HL (RW = 42 dB, OW = 35 dB, Bell = 38 dB, CliP = 27 dB). The mean postoperative Freiburger monosyllable score was 71% at 65 dB SPL. The postimplantation mean SRT50 (speech reception in quiet for 50% understanding of words in sentences) improved on average by 23 dB over unaided testing and signal-to-noise ratios also improved in all patients. The International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA)quality-of-life questionnaire was scored very positively by all patients.Conclusion: A significant improvement was seen with all couplers, and patients were satisfied with the device at 12 months postoperatively. These results demonstrate that an active implant is an advantage in achieving good hearing benefit in patients with prior failed reconstruction surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]