Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan.
Department of Hearing Implant Sciences, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan.
Acta Otolaryngol. 2020 Aug;140(8):632-638. doi: 10.1080/00016489.2020.1760351. Epub 2020 Jun 5.
Electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) has emerged as a standard treatment for patients with high-frequency hearing loss. EAS is usually performed with shorter electrodes of 16-24 mm in length. As most EAS recipients gradually lose residual acoustic hearing in the implanted ear over time, EAS with longer electrodes without causing significant intra-cochlear damage might be ideal. The aim of this study was to investigate hearing preservation (HP) results after EAS surgery with longer electrodes. Ten patients (11 ears) with partial deafness that met the indications for EAS with a MED-EL FLEX28 electrode were included in this study. Auditory thresholds before and at 6 months after activation were examined. In 100% of cases, HP was comfortably achieved, indicating that all patients could utilize acoustic amplification combined with electric stimulation. EAS with longer electrodes can offer broader cochlear coverage, resulting in natural frequency matching in comparison with shorter electrodes, even in EAS cases. The combination of advanced surgical techniques and flexible, long, straight electrodes permits deep insertion that reaches the apical region with little or no insertion trauma.
电声刺激 (EAS) 已成为高频听力损失患者的标准治疗方法。EAS 通常使用长度为 16-24mm 的短电极进行。由于大多数 EAS 接受者随着时间的推移逐渐丧失植入耳中的残余声觉听力，因此使用更长的电极而不会造成显著的耳蜗内损伤的 EAS 可能是理想的选择。本研究旨在探讨使用更长电极进行 EAS 手术后的听力保护 (HP) 结果。本研究纳入了 10 名（11 耳）符合 MED-EL FLEX28 电极 EAS 适应证的部分耳聋患者。检查了激活前和激活后 6 个月的听觉阈值。在 100%的情况下，实现了舒适的 HP，表明所有患者都可以利用声学放大与电刺激相结合。使用更长的电极进行 EAS 可以提供更广泛的耳蜗覆盖范围，与短电极相比，即使在 EAS 情况下，也可以实现自然频率匹配。先进的手术技术和灵活、长、直电极的结合允许深度插入，到达顶端区域，插入创伤很小或没有。
