[Long-term follow-up of tympanoplasty using a ceravital prosthesis for the middle ear]

An 8-year follow-up of Ceravital middle ear prostheses showed an extremely good tolerance in the middle ear space. Incompatibility phenomena were not observed. Inflammatory reactions were neither caused nor supported by the implants. The implantation was always performed without interposition of cartilage. Extrusions were not observed. Long-lasting inflammatory processes destroy implants in the same way as they affect ossicles. Transient inflammatory periods (e.g. in the early postoperative period, POM) do not lead to any remarkable changes of the implant surface. In healthy middle ears, the hearing results are stable.