Benefit of the Vibrant Soundbridge Device in Patients Implanted For 5 to 8 Years

Abstract

In Brief Objectives: To assess audiological performance, satisfaction rate, and side effects of 100 patients who have been using the middle ear implant Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) for 5 to 8 yr when compared with data collected from 3 to 18 mo postsurgery. Design: Audiological testing and subjective evaluation using self-assessment scales were performed in 77 out of the 100 patients using the VSB for 5 to 8 years. The results were compared to data collected 3 months (audiological testing) and 18 months (self-assessment scales) after surgery. Twenty-three patients have not been evaluated for different reported reasons. Results: Pure-tone hearing thresholds decreased similarly in both implanted and contralateral ears. The satisfaction ratings and the functional gain provided by the VSB remained stable. Speech comprehension in quiet conditions without the VSB decreased from 56 to 37% in 5 to 8 yr, but an 81% score was achieved with the VSB. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the performance of the VSB does not deteriorate for more than 5 yr, without adverse effect. These results confirm the safety and the effectiveness of the VSB with a long-term follow-up. This study assesses audiological performances, satisfaction rate, and side effects of 100 patients using the middle ear implant Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) for 5 to 8 years. The functional gain of the device remains unchanged over time. Despite a speech comprehension deterioration due to the natural history of the hearing loss, the VSB still provided an important benefit (81% in quiet for disyllabic words with the VSB compared to 37% without the VSB). The satisfaction rate remained stable (77% of patients satisfied). No adverse effect due to the device on the ossicular chain is reported. The incidence of side effects remained very low.