Polycel-bone composite drum-to-footplate columella.
A composite drum-to-footplate columella has been described. The lateral part of this columella is made of cortical bone, which is well-tolerated by the tympanic membrane. The medial part is a Polycel cylinder that contains a central wire core that is not supposed to experience atrophy. The connection is brought about by insertion of the cylinder into a hole drilled into the bony part. Eighteen columellas have been used in staged surgery. Check-up time varies between 3 months and 2 years. Average improvement in air conduction was 19.6 dB; average postoperative air-postoperative bone gap was 19.7 dB. There have been no extrusions so far.
D000328:Adult; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D013201:Stapes Surgery / Q000379:methods*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous