Clinical experiences and postoperative results with partially implantable middle ear implant

A partially implantable middle ear implant using an ossicular vibrator of a piezoelectric ceramic bimorph has recently been developed in Japan as a new rehabilitative method for hearing. Four patients at the Miyazaki Medical College Hospital were implanted with this device between September 1994 and October 1996. Implantation of the internal component was performed under local anesthesia after confirmation of sufficient sensitivity to the ossicular vibrator in an intraoperative vibratory hearing test. All patients regained socially useful hearing with the middle ear implant without any foreign body reactions or recurrence of otitis media. None of the cases showed any elevations of bone conduction thresholds 2 to 4 years postoperatively. Natural and clear sounds without interference noise and howling due to acoustic feedback were highly satisfactory in all patients. However, the first case, who had an implant in an ear following cholesteatoma surgery using the intact canal wall technique, experienced about a 10dB deterioration of the average hearing level with the implant 2 years after implantation. Gradual deterioration appeared to be caused by the retracted tympanic membrane interfering with the mobility of the ossicular vibrator. The following three cases were implanted in ears previously operated on by radical mastoidectomy, showing stable or improving hearing results with the implant. Closure of the external canal skin at the cartilaginous portion at the time of implantation seemed appropriate to maintain a sufficient middle ear space for the ossicular vibrator to work properly. Our case study confirms that the partially implantable middle ear implant is a safe and useful tool for patients with mixed deafness which cannot be satisfactorily rehabilitated by tympanoplasty and/or a conventional hearing aid.