Audiologic outcomes and complications of active middle ear implantation in older adults.

BACKGROUND

A few studies have reported the use of middle ear implants (MEIs) in older adults.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the audiologic outcomes and postoperative complications of MEIs in older adults.

METHODS

This retrospective study reviewed audiologic data and medical records from a single referral centre. We identified 34 patients aged ≥65 years who underwent middle ear implantation using the Vibrant SoundbridgeTM device. Preoperative audiometric testing and postoperative aided audiometric testing were performed to evaluate the functional hearing gain at 1 year postoperatively. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on whether they underwent explantation because of poor hearing benefit.

RESULTS

Follow-up duration ranged from <1 to 5.3 years. The functional gain with MEIs significantly improved relative to the preoperative air conduction thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz. Eight patients underwent explantation and 7 lost their external audio processor devices. Those who removed their implants because of the poor hearing (group 1) showed significantly worse hearing thresholds at 1 kHz and speech discrimination scores than the others (group 2).

CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: MEIs for auditory rehabilitation can provide improved speech recognition and significant functional gains in older adults. Patients must be given appropriate preoperative explanations regarding the expected outcomes.