title: Application of active middle ear implants in patients with severe mixed hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the long-term benefit of the Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) middle ear implant in patients with severe mixed hearing loss and to compare it with other hearing devices.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  University-affiliated medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six patients with severe mixed hearing loss and a mean sensorineural hearing loss component between 40 and 70 dB.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients received a VSB with the floating mass transducer (FMT) coupled to the round window or to the oval window via a residual stapes structure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Functional gain and speech recognition results. Results are compared with 2 control groups matched for mean sensorineural hearing loss: 1) patients with mixed hearing loss and a bone-anchored hearing device, and 2) patients with sensorineural hearing loss and traditional implantation of the VSB.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There is large variance in functional gain between the patients suggesting high variability in the effectivity of the FMT coupling. The speech recognition results for the experimental group were not systematically better than in either control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is large variability in results that might be ascribed to coupling effectivity. On the average, speech recognition results were not better or worse than those found in patients with similar hearing loss fitted with bone-anchored hearing devices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Donders Centre of Neuroscience, Radboud University, Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. v.verhaegen@kno.umcn.nl
authors.forename: Veronique J O
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Verhaegen
authors.forename: Jef J S
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.forename: Cor W R J
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Cremers
authors.forename: Ad F M
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Snik
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D002558:Cerebrospinal Fluid Otorrhea / Q000150:complications; D018424:Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D046089:Hearing Loss, Mixed Conductive-Sensorineural / Q000601:surgery*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007188:Incus / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009998:Ossicular Prosthesis; D010032:Otitis Externa / Q000150:complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012405:Round Window, Ear; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests; D013199:Stapes / Q000503:physiopathology; D014159:Transducers