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Updated: Aug 28, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancing Endoscopic Ossiculoplasty – Techniques, Innovations, and Practical Guidance for Clinical Integration
Published on: January 26, 2024
A Partial Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis With a Concentric Ball Joint in the Headplate
Nicholas Bevis1, Thomas Effertz1, Dirk Beutner1
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.
Objective:
In passive middle ear prosthetics, rigid implants have proven successful in reconstructing the ossicular chain. However, these cannot fully replicate the physiology of the ossicular chain. Pressure fluctuations cause high stresses in rigid passive prostheses, which can result in dislocation, protrusion, and pre-tension in the annular ligament resulting in unsatisfactory hearing results.
Methods:
In collaboration with MED-EL, we developed a new passive middle ear prosthesis that features a balanced, centered ball joint between the headplate and shaft of the prosthesis. We compared the sound transmission properties of this new prosthesis with those of a standard rigid prosthesis. Using Laser-Doppler-Vibrometry, we measured the sound-induced velocity of the stapes footplate relative to a given acoustic stimulus.
Results:
The new prosthesis showed equivalent sound transmission characteristics compared to the rigid prosthesis, whereas retaining the ability to compensate for pressure fluctuations due to its ball joint. This ensures good transmission properties even during displacements of the tympanic membrane.
Conclusion:
This development is a further step toward a physiological reconstruction of the ossicular chain.
Level Of Evidence:
NA Laryngoscope, 133:1717-1721, 2023.
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