Influence of Floating-Mass Transducer Coupling Efficiency for Active Middle-Ear Implants on Speech Recognition. Issue 6 (July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Müller, Alexander; Mir-Salim, Parwis; Zellhuber, Nina; Helbig, Ralf; Bloching, Marc; Schmidt, Tobias; Koscielny, Sven; Dziemba, Oliver C.; Plontke, Stefan K.; Rahne, Torsten
• Is Part Of: Otology & neurotology. Volume 38:Issue 6(2017)
• Publication Date: 2017-07
• Subjects: Active middle-ear implant -- Audiological outcome -- Coupling -- Semi-implantable hearing aids -- Vibroplasty threshold; Otology -- Periodicals; Ear -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Skull base -- Surgery -- Periodicals; 617.8005
• DOI: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000001412
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1531-7129

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: The efficiency of vibroplasty (coupler-floating mass transducer [FMT] assembly) can be monitored by direct stimulation of the inner ear through the active middle-ear implant system and comparison of the vibroplasty in vivo threshold and the postoperative bone-conduction pure-tone threshold. The aim of this study was to compare the vibroplasty in vivo threshold with the postoperative speech recognition in patients with a high preoperative maximum word recognition score. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study of German-speaking patients implanted with a vibrating ossicular prosthesis (VORP) 502 or VORP 503 and high preoperative maximum word recognition score between the years of 2011 and 2015. Setting: Multicenter study of four German centers. Patients: Twenty-three active middle-ear implant users. Intervention: Rehabilitative. Main Outcome Measures: Bone-conduction pure-tone and vibroplasty thresholds, postoperative aided word recognition score (WRS) at 65 dB SPL (sound pressure level) and preoperative maximum WRS with Freiburg monosyllabic words. Results: The mean postoperative aided WRS at 65 dB SPL was 82%. An increasing difference between vibroplasty thresholds and bone-conduction thresholds was associated with a higher discrepancy between the unaided maximum WRS and the postoperative aided WRS. Only if this difference was less than 20 dB, an articulation index of 0.5 (WRS = 75%) or more was achieved. Conclusions: Audiological outcome after vibroplasty depends on the coupling efficiency reflected by the vibroplasty threshold.