Piezoelectric middle ear implant preserving the ossicular chain.
The authors developed a research program on piezoelectric middle ear implants. A piezoelectric vibrator was implanted on guinea pigs, enabling piezoelectric auditory-evoked recording. The shape and sizes of a vibrator for humans were determined by a human temporal bone study. These human-type vibrators showed good performances in vitro. A particular vibrator for humans that can be implanted on the stapes' head, without irreversibly interrupting the ossicular chain, was designed by the authors.
Dumon
T
T
Pellegrin University Hospital, Bordeaux, France.
Zennaro
O
O
Aran
J M
JM
Bébéar
J P
JP
D000818:Animals; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment; D004429:Ear Ossicles; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D010579:Petrous Bone; D019736:Prostheses and Implants