The hope is that we could develop a system that can simulate Baha but that doesn’t require an implant that comes through the skin, said Dr. Niparko. But we haven’t found an efficient way to do that yet.
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January 2009The Vibrant Soundbridge® (Vibrant Med-El, Innsbruck, Austria) is a device currently approved to treat sensorineural, conductive, and mixed hearing loss in Europe, and could offer patients in the United States another option if eventually approved by the FDA, said Dr. Kohan.
According to company literature, the Vibrant Soundbridge is a semi-implantable hearing aid that leaves the ear canal open. An audio processor is held to the back of the head behind the ear with a magnet and processes sounds into electrical signals, which are transcutaneously transmitted to an implanted device that causes the ossicles to vibrate. Some experimental protocols have been performed in the United States, but the FDA has not yet approved it for use here.
Researchers are also investigating the delivery of intratympanic steroid injections to the inner ear to help prevent sensorineural hearing loss. We believe this reduces inflammation, said Dr. Marzo. Some of the hair cells are in a state of shock, and steroids seem to help.
Cochlear implantation for single-sided deafness is another area of ongoing research, said Dr. Marzo. Investigators don’t know how the implant is going to interact with hearing in the good ear, he said. That’s something that is undergoing further investigation.
©2009 The Triological Society
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