Experience with vibroplasty couplers at the stapes head and footplate.

OBJECTIVE

To report on experiences with implanting the Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) coupled to the stapes head using a new Clip-Coupler or to the stapes footplate using a new OW-Coupler (CliP- or OW-Coupler Vibroplasty).

STUDY

DESIGN

Single subject, repeated measures.

SETTING

Two university hospital ENT departments.

PATIENTS: Fourteen German-speaking patients from 2 European study sites were implanted with either a CliP-Coupler or OW-Coupler attached to a VSB floating mass transducer (FMT). They were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively for bone and air conduction thresholds with and without the implant, as well as speech perception tests.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measuring the efficacy and safety of OW- and CliP-Coupler-Vibroplasty as a method to treat mixed hearing loss.

RESULTS

Bone conduction thresholds remained stable preoperatively and postoperatively. The patients' average speech perception performances at 65/80 dB (HL) increased from 0.8/13.8% to 63/82%. The pure tone audiograms showed an average improvement in air conduction thresholds after implantation with the VSB of 25 dB at 0.5 kHz to 50 dB at 4 kHz.

CONCLUSION

OW- or Clip-Coupler-Vibroplasty using couplers was found to be a straightforward procedure, which produced good results in this group of patients.