Intraoperative monitoring of active middle ear implant function in patients with normal and pathologic middle ears.
OBJECTIVE
To describe a technique enabling the intraoperative assessment of the mechanical coupling of active middle ear implants in patients with normal or dysfunctional middle ears.


METHODS
Patients with sensorineural or mixed hearing loss subjected to revision surgery of an active middle ear implant.


METHODS
Recording of compound action potentials (CAPs) of the auditory nerve in response to stimulation via an active middle ear implant during revision surgery.


METHODS
CAP thresholds as a measure of mechanical coupling and system integrity.


CONCLUSIONS
Determining CAP thresholds may be suitable for identifying a proper mechanical coupling of active middle ear implants in patients with a dysfunctional middle ear, even if the ossicular chain is disrupted.
Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Comprehensive Hearing Center Wuerzburg, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany. andreas@radeloff.de
Andreas
A
Radeloff
Wafaa
W
Shehata-Dieler
Kristen
K
Rak
Agmal
A
Scherzed
Boris
B
Tolsdorff
Rudolf
R
Hagen
Joachim
J
Mueller
Robert
R
Mlynski
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003056:Cochlear Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D046089:Hearing Loss, Mixed Conductive-Sensorineural / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009998:Ossicular Prosthesis