Preoperative assessment of stapes implantations of the vibrant SoundBridge for congenital aural atresia patients

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study is to retrospectively analyze the imaging characteristics of patients with congenital aural atresia who underwent Vibrant Soundbridge implantation, and to investigate the importance of preoperative evaluation of vibroplasty.

Materials and methods: The study included 16 patients with bilateral congenital aural atresia aged 6–25 years (mean age, 14.7 years). All patients underwent Vibrant Soundbridge implantations.

Results: Among the 16 patients, 15 successfully underwent stapes implantation. The average height of the stapes of these 15 patients was 2.93 mm, which was significantly different from that of the control group with normal hearing (p ≤ .001). The average distance between the tympanic segment of the facial nerve and the stapes was 1.41 mm in patients in whom the oval window was occluded by the displaced facial nerve. In the non-occluded group, the average distance was 2.00 mm. No significant difference was observed between the two groups (p = .08).

Conclusion: The distance between the facial nerve and stapes, as well as the height of the stapes, could be important predictors of successful stapes implantation of Vibrant Soundbridge.

Chinese abstract

目的：本研究的目的是回顾性分析接受振动声桥植入术的先天性听觉闭锁患者的成像特征, 并探讨术前评估振动成形术的重要性。

材料与方法：本研究包括16例双侧先天性听觉闭锁患者, 年龄6〜25岁（平均年龄14.7岁）。所有患者都接受了振动声桥植入术。

结果：16例患者中, 15例成功接受了镫骨植入。这15例患者的镫骨平均高度为2.93 mm, 与正常听力对照组有显着性差异（p ≤ 0.01）。对于椭圆形窗口被错位的面神经封闭的患者, 面部神经鼓膜部分和镫骨间距平均距离为1.41 mm。在非闭塞组中, 平均距离为2.00mm。两组间差异无统计学意义（p = 0.08）。

结论：面神经和镫骨之间的距离以及镫骨的高度可能是振动声桥镫骨植入术能否成功的重要预测指标。

Keywords:

• Ear malformation
• vibroplasty
• auditory implantation
• imaging assessment

Disclosure statement

The authors confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.

Additional information

Funding

The following funds were received for this work: Capital Medical Development Research Fund (2014-2-2052); Capital Characteristic Clinical Application Research and Promotion Fund (Z171100001017079).