Strategies of Active Middle Ear Implants for Hearing Rehabilitation in Congenital Aural Atresia

OBJECTIVE: To describe our surgical and audiometric experience using different active middle ear implant strategies facing various anatomic situations in aural atresia. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case review. SETTING: Tertiary academic referral center. PATIENTS: Five patients with congenital aural atresia, (3 unilateral and 2 bilateral), with mean age of 22.4 years (range, 12-44 yr), referred for hearing rehabilitation. INTERVENTION: Active middle ear implant on stapes capitulum. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Description of surgical implantation with different active middle ear implants. Preoperative and postoperative air conduction, bone conduction, and aided and unaided thresholds and speech scores were measured, at mid to long term. Subjective benefit analysis was determined through the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit questionnaire. RESULTS: After activation and fitting of the devices, a mean functional gain of 32.5 dB hearing level was measured. Speech tests in quiet showed a mean functional gain of 20.2 dB. Patients had a mean follow-up period of 12 months. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were noted. Furthermore, we reflected on new coupling possibilities, especially in a difficult case with stapes-footplate fixation where no approach of the round window was feasible because of aberrant facial nerve course. CONCLUSION: Facing anatomic variations in congenital aural atresia, active middle ear implants can provide substantial hearing improvement in safe conditions and open new strategies for hearing rehabilitation.