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Totally implantable active middle-ear implants: a large, single-surgeon cohort

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 March 2021

E McCarty Walsh ,
D R Morrison  and
W J McFeely
E McCarty Walsh
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
D R Morrison*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
W J McFeely
Affiliation:
North Alabama ENT Associates, Huntsville, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Dr Daniel Morrison, Department of Otolaryngology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham35233, Alabama, USA E-mail: drmorrison@uabmc.edu Fax: +1 205 801 7802
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Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate hearing outcomes and device safety in a large, single-surgeon experience with the totally implantable active middle-ear implants.

Methods

This was a retrospective case series review of 116 patients with moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss undergoing implantation of active middle-ear implants.

Results

Mean baseline unaided pure tone average improved from 57.6 dB before surgery to 34.1 dB post-operatively, signifying a mean gain in pure tone average of 23.5 dB (p = 0.0002). Phonetically balanced maximum word recognition score improved slightly from 70.5 per cent to 75.8 per cent (p = 0.416), and word recognition score at a hearing level of 50 dB values increased substantially from 14.4 per cent to 70.4 per cent (p < 0.0001). Both revision and explant rates were low and dropped with increasing surgeon experience over time.

Conclusion

This study showed excellent post-operative hearing results with active middle-ear implants with regard to pure tone average and word recognition score at a hearing level of 50 db. Complication rates in this case series were significantly lower with increasing experience of the surgeon. Active middle-ear implants should be considered in appropriate patients with moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss who have struggled with conventional amplification and are good surgical candidates.

Keywords

Hearing Loss, SensorineuralPresbycusisMiddle EarIncusStapesHearing AidsMiddle Ear Implant
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 135 , Issue 4 , April 2021 , pp. 304 - 309
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

Dr D Morrison takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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