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27. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Audiologie
und Arbeitstagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutschsprachiger Audiologen, Neurootologen und Otologen

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Audiologie e. V. und ADANO

19. - 21.03.2025, Göttingen

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Hearing rehabilitation in aural atresia using the Vibrant Soundbridge, experience with adults and children

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  • presenting/speaker Jochen Müller-Mazzotta - Universitätsklinikum Marburg, Klinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie, Marburg, Deutschland
  • Kruthika Thangavelu - Universitätsklinikum Marburg, Klinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie, Marburg, Deutschland
  • Boris Alexander Stuck - Universitätsklinikum Marburg, Klinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie, Marburg, Deutschland
  • Rainer Weiß - Universitätsklinikum Marburg, Klinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie, Marburg, Deutschland; Universitätsklinikum Marburg, Klinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie, Marburg, Deutschland
  • Katrin Reimann - Universitätsklinikum Marburg, Klinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie, Marburg, Deutschland

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Audiologie e. V. und ADANO. 27. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Audiologie und Arbeitstagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutschsprachiger Audiologen, Neurootologen und Otologen. Göttingen, 19.-21.03.2025. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2025. Doc040

doi: 10.3205/25dga040, urn:nbn:de:0183-25dga0405

Published: March 18, 2025

© 2025 Müller-Mazzotta et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See license information at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Outline

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Introduction: The incidence of auricular malformation, including aural atresia, is approximately 1:10,000 to 1:20,000 newborns, typically unilateral, more often affecting the right side, and predominantly occurring in males. The Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) offers a physiological hearing rehabilitation by selectively stimulating the affected side. Successful application of the VSB depends on the optimal coupling of the Floating Mass Transducer (FMT). The “VSB BERA” measurement via the AcoustiAP system (MedEl) enables objective evaluation of this coupling intraoperatively and postoperatively.

Method: A retrospective data analysis was conducted on all VSB implantations performed in Marburg for patients with aural atresia. In a subset of cases, intraoperative coupling was evaluated using the AcoustiAP system (MedEl). Postoperative assessments of coupling quality were also carried out during follow-up care in previously implanted patients.

Results: From 2008 to 2024, a total of 81 patients received VSB implants, 26 of whom had aural atresia, including 13 adults (aged 19–43 years) and 13 children (aged 1.5–17 years). Intraoperatively, coupling quality was measured using the AcoustiAP system. Initial results of intraoperative objective coupling measurements show a strong correlation with bone conduction thresholds, supporting the method as a potentially reliable indicator of coupling quality. In adults, postoperative monosyllable recognition at 65 dB ranged between 75% and 90%.

Discussion: This retrospective analysis confirms the VSB as an effective and physiological solution for hearing rehabilitation in cases of aural atresia, particularly when combined with VSB BERA (AcoustiAP) as a reliable indicator of coupling quality.