title: Vibrant Soundbridge rehabilitation of conductive and mixed hearing loss.
abstract: The Vibrant Soundbridge is the world's most often implanted active middle ear implant or hearing aid. During the last few years, the device indications have expanded from sensorineural hearing loss to conductive and mixed hearing loss. Titanium couplers have led to improved contact of the floating mass transducer with the middle ear structures. The resulting hearing gain is satisfying for most patients, but so far, there is no clear audiologic advantage over conventional hearing aids. Currently, the indications are mainly related to intolerance of conventional hearing aids (eg, chronic otitis externa), severe mixed hearing loss with a destructed middle ear and certain medical diagnosis (eg, congenital atresia).
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Cologne, Kerpener Street 62, Building 23, Cologne 50924, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan-Christoffer
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lüers
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Cologne, Kerpener Street 62, Building 23, Cologne 50924, Germany. Electronic address: huettenbrink.k-b@uni-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Karl-Bernd
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Hüttenbrink
mesh_terms: D006310:Hearing Aids; D046089:Hearing Loss, Mixed Conductive-Sensorineural / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009998:Ossicular Prosthesis; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Conductive hearing loss; Hearing implant; Implantable hearing aid; Middle ear; Mixed hearing loss; Vibrant soundbridge