Safety and efficacy of the mAXIS stapes prosthesis.

Purpose: Otosclerosis leads to a fixed stapes footplate and thus to hearing loss. The predominant treatment method is surgery, with various types of stapes prostheses available. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of the new mAXIS Stapes Prosthesis.

Safety and performance of the new med-el total ossicular replacement prostheses.

Purpose: This multicentric, retrospective study provides safety and performance data of the MED-EL total ossicular replacement prostheses (TORP).

Methods: Patients underwent tympanoplasty with mXACT Total Prosthesis Center, mXACT Total Prosthesis Offcenter or mXACT PRO Total Prosthesis. The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed.

Partial Ossicular Reconstruction With a Novel Ball Joint Prosthesis: The mCLIP ARC Partial Prosthesis.

Objective: Middle ear surgery involves reconstruction of the ossicular chain, predominately using rigid implants. New middle ear prostheses strive to mimic the physiologic micromovements of the ossicular chain and prevent dislocation, protrusion, and preloading of the annular ligament due to pressure fluctuations.

Methods: Thirty-five patients were included in a monocentric, prospective observational study.

A Partial Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis With a Concentric Ball Joint in the Headplate.

Objective: In passive middle ear prosthetics, rigid implants have proven successful in reconstructing the ossicular chain. However, these cannot fully replicate the physiology of the ossicular chain. Pressure fluctuations cause high stresses in rigid passive prostheses, which can result in dislocation, protrusion, and pre-tension in the annular ligament resulting in unsatisfactory hearing results.

The impact of tympanic membrane perforations on middle ear transfer function.

Purpose: Injury or inflammation of the middle ear often results in the persistent tympanic membrane (TM) perforations, leading to conductive hearing loss (HL). However, in some cases the magnitude of HL exceeds that attributable by the TM perforation alone. The aim of the study is to better understand the effects of location and size of TM perforations on the sound transmission properties of the middle ear.

Access to the Apical Cochlear Modiolus for Possible Stem Cell-based and Gene Therapy of the Auditory Nerve.

Objective: Loss of spiral ganglion neurons (SGN) is permanent and responsible for a substantial number of patients suffering from hearing impairment. It can derive from the degeneration of SGNs due to the death of sensory hair cells as well as from auditory neuropathy. Utilizing stem cells to recover lost SGNs increasingly emerges as a possible therapeutic option, but access to human SGNs is difficult due to their protected location within the bony impacted cochlea.

Evaluation of artifacts of cochlear implant electrodes in cone beam computed tomography.

Purpose: Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) offers a valid alternative to conventional Computed Tomography (CT). A possible radiation dose reduction with the use of CBCT in postoperative imaging of CIs is of great importance. Whether the visualization of Cochlear Implant (CI) electrodes in CBCT correlates with the radiation dose applied was investigated in this study.

Nitinol in Passive Ossicular Reconstruction-First Results From Temporal Bone Experiments.

Hypothesis: Nitinol is a suitable material for passive middle ear prosthesis.

Background: In modern ear microsurgery, the restitution of hearing is tremendously important. In passive ossicular reconstruction, rigid alloplastic materials are widespread in use.