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Otologics middle ear transducer with contralateral conventional hearing aid in severe sensorineural hearing loss:
Stéphane Tringali1, Xavier Perrot, Paul Berger
1Hospices Civils de Lyon, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Department of Otology and Oto-neurosurgery, F-69495 Pierre-Bénite, France. stephane.tringali@chu-lyon.fr
Objectives:
To report the audiometric outcomes of patients with severe sensorineural hearing loss and who have been fitted with a Middle Ear Transducer (MET) on one side and fitted with an optimized conventional hearing aid on the other side.
Study Design:
The MET fitting results were measured and compared with contralateral conventional hearing aids in a prospective study.
Setting:
Tertiary referral center.
Patients:
Seven patients (ages, 53-77 yr) with severe sensorineural hearing loss (pure-tone average, 71-90 dB HL) were implanted between December 2004 and March 2006.
Method:
Audiometric testing was performed the day of activation (2 mo postoperative) and after 8 days and 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months. For each follow-up, MET and conventional hearing aid were optimized according to the patient's hearing loss.
Results:
Mean functional gains were 29 dB for conventional hearing aid and 35 dB the first day of the study with the MET and 39 dB after 6 months.
Discussion:
The performance of the MET and the absence of occlusion of the external auditory canal could explain the improved benefit. For maximum gain, the MET requires a regular follow-up during the first 6 months.
Conclusion:
MET seems to be a suitable and successful treatment option resulting in significant improvement in speech comprehension, especially after 6 months, in patients with severe sensorineural hearing loss. During the 24-month follow-up of this study, the MET has been a safe and effective treatment for severe hearing loss.
