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The Carina© middle ear implant: surgical and functional outcomes

  • Otology
  • Published:
European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Carina© system (Cochlear Ltd, Sydney, Australia) is a totally implantable prosthesis designed to meet the needs of acoustic amplification in adults with moderate-to-severe sensorineural or mixed hearing loss. It mechanically stimulates the ossicles or labyrinthine windows. The object of this study was to update surgical and functional results obtained in a consistent sample of Carina© recipients. The data sheets of 26 patients who underwent Carina© surgery at two ENT units [i.e., ENT Audiology and Phoniatrics Unit of the University Hospital of Pisa (Pisa, Italy) and ENT Unit of “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital of Piacenza (Piacenza, Italy)] were evaluated for the surgical and audiological outcomes. Twenty patients received a unilateral device, whereas six patients were bilaterally implanted (simultaneously in one patient and sequentially in the remaining five patients). The total number of ears implanted in this study was 32. Most implanted patients expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the prosthesis, which highlights the improvement in hearing in different environmental conditions, the cosmetic advantages, and greater freedom in performing common activities in daily living. Audiological examination demonstrated valid functional gain and significant improvement in speech perception in quiet. Based on this experience, the Carina© is a valid alternative to hearing aids. Moreover, a bilateral implantation, even a simultaneous implantation, is a viable option for selected motivated patients because the intervention is generally well tolerated and the surgery time is relatively fast.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ENT Audiology and Phoniatric Unit, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Luca Bruschini, Stefano Berrettini & Francesca Forli

  2. Division of ENT Diseases, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    Stefano Berrettini

  3. ENT Unit, “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital of Piacenza, Piacenza, Italy

    Alessandra Murri & Domenico Cuda

Authors
  1. Luca Bruschini
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  2. Stefano Berrettini
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  3. Francesca Forli
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  4. Alessandra Murri
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  5. Domenico Cuda
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luca Bruschini.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standard

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of our institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Bruschini, L., Berrettini, S., Forli, F. et al. The Carina© middle ear implant: surgical and functional outcomes. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 273, 3631–3640 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-016-3998-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-016-3998-1

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