Benefits of active middle ear implants in mixed hearing loss: Stapes versus round window

2016 ◽  
Vol 127 (6) ◽  
pp. 1435-1441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeon Mi Lee ◽  
Jinsei Jung ◽  
In Seok Moon ◽  
Sung Huhn Kim ◽  
Jae Young Choi
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Round Window ◽  
Mixed Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear Implants

scholarly journals Design Study of a Round Window Piezoelectric Transducer for Active Middle Ear Implants

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 946
Author(s):  
Dong Ho Shin
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Piezoelectric Transducer ◽  
Round Window ◽  
Piezoelectric Element ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Flat Band ◽  
Middle Ear Implants ◽  
Output Characteristics

This report describes the design of a new piezoelectric transducer for round window (RW)-driven middle ear implants. The transducer consists of a piezoelectric element, gold-coated copper bellows, silicone elastomer (polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS), metal cylinder (tungsten), and titanium housing. The piezoelectric element is fixed to the titanium housing and mechanical resonance is generated by the interaction of the bellows, PDMS, and tungsten cylinder. The dimensions of PDMS and the tungsten cylinder with output characteristics suitable for compensation of sensorineural hearing loss were derived by mechanical vibrational analysis (equivalent mechanical model and finite element analysis (FEA)). Based on the results of FEA, the RW piezoelectric transducer was implemented, and bench tests were performed under no-load conditions to confirm the output characteristics. The transducer generates an average displacement of 219.6 nm in the flat band (0.1–1 kHz); the resonance frequency is 2.3 kHz. To evaluate the output characteristics, the response was compared to that of an earlier transducer. When driven by the same voltage (6 Vp), the flat band displacement averaged 30 nm larger than that of the other transducer, and no anti-resonance was noted. Therefore, we expect that the new transducer can serve as an output device for hearing aids, and that it will improve speech recognition and treat high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss more effectively.

New Perspectives for Middle Ear Implants: First Results in Otosclerosis With Mixed Hearing Loss

2007 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 552-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederic Venail ◽  
Jean Pierre Lavieille ◽  
Renaud Meller ◽  
Arnaud Deveze ◽  
Laurent Tardivet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Mixed Hearing Loss ◽  
First Results ◽  
Middle Ear Implants

scholarly journals Hearing Aid Treatment in Patients with Mixed Hearing Loss. Part I: Expected Benefit and Limitations after Stapes Surgery

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-132
Author(s):  
Nina Wardenga ◽  
Victoria Diedrich ◽  
Bernd Waldmann ◽  
Thomas Lenarz ◽  
Hannes Maier
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Treatment Success ◽  
Stapes Surgery ◽  
Pure Tone Average ◽  
Mixed Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Devices ◽  
Middle Ear Implants

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to determine the fraction of patients with mixed hearing loss who can or cannot expect benefit from power hearing aids (HAs) after stapes surgery. Design: The audiological outcome of 374 stapes surgeries was used to calculate the patients’ individual postoperative requirements in terms of gain and output of HAs. These requirements were compared to the available gain and output provided by state-of-the-art power HAs at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 kHz. According to these comparisons, ears were divided into three groups. For G0, required gain and output lay within the corresponding technical limits of the HAs at all frequencies. In G1, one or both requirements could not be fulfilled at 1 frequency. G2 combined all ears where the requirements lay beyond the HA’s technical limitations at 2 or more frequencies. Results: Stapes surgery resulted in an improvement of air-bone gap (ABG) in 84.5% of the cases by 15.7 dB on average. Based on pure-tone average (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 kHz), 40.6% of all cases showed an ABG ≤10 dB. 44.9% of all cases did no longer need a HA after stapes surgery. A power HA would fulfill both audiological criteria at all 4 frequencies in 81.6% of cases that needed a HA postoperatively. However, 18.4% would not be sufficiently treatable at 1 or more frequencies (15.0% in G1, 3.4% in G2). Conclusions: The present study identified a subset of patients with mixed hearing loss after stapes surgery that cannot be treated sufficiently with available power HAs. As the residual ABG is an important reason for this lack of treatment success, the advancement of alternative hearing devices that circumvent the middle ear, such as powerful active middle ear implants, is indicated.

scholarly journals Results of the Active Middle Ear Implantation in Patients With Mixed Hearing Loss After the Middle Ear Surgery: Prospective Multicenter Study (ROMEO Study)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chan Il Song ◽  
Hyong-Ho Cho ◽  
Byung Yoon Choi ◽  
Jae Young Choi ◽  
Jin Woong Choi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Round Window ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Middle Ear Surgery ◽  
Mixed Hearing Loss ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Hearing Aid Benefit

Objectives. To evaluate the user satisfaction, efficacy, and safety of round window (RW) vibroplasty using the Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) in patients with persistent mixed hearing loss after mastoidectomy.Methods. The study included twenty-seven patients (mean age, 58.7 years; age range, 28–76 years; 11 men and 16 women) with mixed hearing loss after mastoidectomy surgery from 15 tertiary referral centers in Korea. The VSB was implanted at the RW. The Korean translation of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire and the Korean version of the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (K-IOI-HA) questionnaire were used to evaluate user satisfaction as the primary outcome. Secondary outcome measures were audiological test results and complication rates.Results. The mean scores on the Ease of Communication (61.3%

scholarly journals Subjective Outcomes With Bone Conduction and Middle Ear Implants for Patients Wth Conductive or Mixed Hearing Loss

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. A364
Author(s):  
M Kosaner Kliess ◽  
R Zoehrer ◽  
B Schlick ◽  
M Mariacher ◽  
M Urban
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Bone Conduction ◽  
Mixed Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear Implants ◽  
Subjective Outcomes

Application of Active Middle Ear Implants in Patients With Severe Mixed Hearing Loss

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronique J. O. Verhaegen ◽  
Jef J. S. Mulder ◽  
Cor W. R. J. Cremers ◽  
Ad F. M. Snik
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Mixed Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear Implants

Comparison of Carina active middle-ear implant with conventional hearing aids for mixed hearing loss

2016 ◽  
Vol 130 (4) ◽  
pp. 340-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
V A Savaş ◽  
B Gündüz ◽  
R Karamert ◽  
R Cevizci ◽  
M Düzlü ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Bone Conduction ◽  
Patient Acceptance ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Active Middle Ear Implant ◽  
Mixed Hearing Loss ◽  
Glasgow Benefit Inventory ◽  
Middle Ear Implants

AbstractObjective:To compare the auditory outcomes of Carina middle-ear implants with those of conventional hearing aids in patients with moderate-to-severe mixed hearing loss.Methods:The study comprised nine patients (six males, three females) who underwent middle-ear implantation with Carina fully implantable active middle-ear implants to treat bilateral moderate-to-severe mixed hearing loss. The patients initially used conventional hearing aids and subsequently received the Carina implants. The hearing thresholds with implants and hearing aids were compared.Results:There were no significant differences between: the pre-operative and post-operative air and bone conduction thresholds (p> 0.05), the thresholds with hearing aids and Carina implants (p> 0.05), or the pre-operative (mean, 72.8 ± 19 per cent) and post-operative (mean, 69.9 ± 24 per cent) speech discrimination scores (p> 0.05). One of the patients suffered total sensorineural hearing loss three months following implantation despite an initial 38 dB functional gain. All except one patient showed clinical improvements after implantation according to quality of life questionnaire (Glasgow Benefit Inventory) scores.Conclusion:Acceptance of Carina implants is better than with conventional hearing aids in patients with mixed hearing loss, although both yield similar hearing amplification. Cosmetic reasons appear to be critical for patient acceptance.

scholarly journals Middle ear implants: functional gain in mixed hearing loss

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Emilio Zernotti ◽  
Maria Fernanda Di Gregorio ◽  
Andrea C. Bravo Sarasty
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Mixed Hearing Loss ◽  
Middle Ear Implants ◽  
Functional Gain

scholarly journals Comparative study of efficiency and characteristics of FMT and DRT installed in human cadavers for round-window stimulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Ho Shin ◽  
Jong Hoon Kim ◽  
Peter Gottlieb ◽  
Yona Vaisbuch ◽  
Sunil Puria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ear ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Round Window ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Acoustic Hearing ◽  
Middle Ear Implants ◽  
Human Cadavers ◽  
Limited Frequency ◽  
Output Characteristics ◽  
Temporal Bones

AbstractAcoustic hearing aids generate amplified sound in the ear canal, and they are the standard of care for patients with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss. However, because of their limited frequency bandwidth, gain, and feedback, there is substantial room for improvement. Active middle ear implants, which directly vibrate the middle ear and cochlea, are an alternative approach to conventional acoustic hearing aids. They provide an opportunity to improve sound quality and speech understanding with amplification rehabilitation. For floating-mass type and direct-rod type (DRT) middle ear transducers, a differential floating-mass transducer (DFMT) and a tri-coil bellows transducer (TCBT), respectively, were fabricated to measure the output characteristics in four human temporal bones. Both were fabricated to have similar output forces per unit input and were placed in four human temporal bones to measure their output performances. The TCBT resulted in higher output than did the DFMT throughout the audible frequency range, and the output was more prominent at lower frequency ranges. In this study, we showed that DRT was a more effective method for round window stimulation. Because of its frequency characteristics and vibration efficiency, this implantation method can be utilized as a driving solution for middle ear implants.

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