A Retrospective Review of Long-Term Outcomes From Vibrant Soundbridge: Two Decades On

The Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) has been used to rehabilitate hearing loss for more than 2 decades in patients who are unable to benefit from hearing aids. Despite their long-term use, long-term outcome data remain limited. The first Symphonix Vibrant Soundbridge implantation in the UK was performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in 1997, placing this center in a unique position to evaluate long-term results.

A retrospective review of all patients who underwent VSB implantation between 1997 and 2002 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital was conducted. Institutional approval was obtained (CARMS-22238).

Fourteen patients were implanted for sensorineural hearing loss between 1997 and 2002 with a mean follow-up of 25 years. Two were early nonusers due to explantation following infection and employment challenges. There were 2 revision surgeries for FMT refixation and zero cases of incus necrosis. Three patients were lost to follow-up (n=2) or deceased (n=1) with a mean 10.3 years of use. Average use of the remaining 9 users was 17.7 years. A single device failure occurred at 5 years, equating to one failure over 170 usage-years. At the latest follow-up (range: 9 to 26 y post-op), there was a mean 18.4 dB reduction in unaided cochlear thresholds and 9 patients became eligible for cochlear implantation.

The data indicate that audiometric benefit from the VSB can be sustained over the longer term in patients whose cochlear thresholds remain within eligibility criteria. Device nonuse was mainly due to reduced cochlear reserve over time, while device failure appears to be rare.