The presented article shows the current scientific concept including diagnostics and therapy of otosclerosis with an emphasis on surgical treatment options. The three main proposed causes for otosclerosis are viral and hormonal origin as well as a genetic predisposition. In 25 to 50% a familiar accumulation can be seen. Usually patients become aware of clinical problems by a progressive middle ...

Piston-stapedotomy is the most common method for hearing restoration in patients with otosclerosis. In this study, we have experimentally examined a prototype of a new chamber stapes prosthesis. The prototype was implanted in a human cadaver temporal bone. The round window vibrations before and after implantation were measured for the acoustic signal (90 dB SPL, 0.8-8 kHz) in the external audit...

OBJECTIVE To investigate prognostic factors for short-term hearing outcomes after ossiculoplasty. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Tertiary referral and academic center. PATIENTS Seven hundred twenty patients who underwent ossiculoplasty performed by a single surgeon from January 1, 1989, through December 31, 2006, and who were followed up for longer than 1 year. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE...

BACKGROUND Some patients with chronic middle ear disease and multiple failed revisions, who also need a hearing aid, may benefit from an active middle ear implant. An advantage of an active middle ear implant is that the ear canal is unoccluded. METHODS Following extensive experimental development in temporal bones and investigations of various locations and attachments of a Vibrant Soundbrid...

This article describes a new surgical method for total ossicular reconstruction in a case of a broken stapes footplate. We developed the technique of the "cartilage shoe sandwich," which consists of two surgical steps. First, the closure of the oval window is achieved by a cartilage shoe without a central perforation. During this surgical intervention, the prearrangement of a secure placement o...

The view seems to prevail that the frequency range of hearing is determined by the properties of the outer and middle ears. We argue that this view is an oversimplification, in part because the reactive component of cochlear input impedance, which affects the low-frequency sensitivity of the cochlea, is neglected. Further, we use comparisons of audiograms and transfer functions for stapes (or c...

* Supported in part by Brite Euram project BE7470. Abstract The two-level fuzzy-lattice (2L-FL) learning scheme is introduced for application on an intelligent surgical (mechatronic) drill in the stapedotomy surgical procedure in the ear. The 2L-FL scheme learned from past cases to evaluate pointedly the thickness of a stapes bone using a force/torque pair of drilling profiles. Hence it is poss...