OBJECTIVES To examine the effects of an auricular prosthesis on sound levels at the entrance of the ear canal by measuring the auricular prosthesis transfer function (APTF) and to determine the effect of the prosthesis on speech recognition in noisy hearing conditions. METHODS Eight prostheses were used to measure the APTF. A microphone at the entrance of the ear canal measured sound pressure...

HYPOTHESIS The osseointegrative capacity of medical-grade bone cement can be used to improve fixation and prevent displacement of an ossicular prosthesis in a guinea pig model. BACKGROUND Successful ossiculoplasty requires a firm connection between the vibrating tympanic membrane and the inner ear. In patients requiring revision ossiculoplasty, half of failures are due to prosthesis displacem...

BACKGROUND A simple technique was presented in this clinical report for orientation of a bone anchored auricular prosthesis. METHODS The proposed technique includes drawing the intact ear on a transparent celluloid paper or radiographic film and flipping it to the opposite side and relating it to the fixed anatomical features on the face of patient. RESULTS The drawing, by this way provides...

Burns can leave a patient with a severely debilitating disability even after treatment. The objectives of burn rehabilitation are to minimize the adverse effects caused by the injury while rehabilitating the patient's physical and psychological well-being, maximizing social integration. Long-term success of maxillofacial prostheses mainly depends on the retention. Extra oral implant retained pr...

Extraoral implant retained prosthesis have been proven to be a predictable treatment option for maxillofacial rehabilitation. This case report describes the clinical and laboratory procedures for fabricating an auricular prosthesis.In this case report, an auricular prosthesis was fabricated for a patient who lost the left and right external ear in an electrical burn. Extraoral implants and bar-...

Biographies Danny Kelly is a PhD student in the Bioengineering Group at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. He graduated with a first class honors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Trinity College in 1999. For his masters degree in 2001 he wrote a thesis entitled " A study of middle ear biomechanics using the finite element method ". A W Blayney is a consultant ENT surgeon and P J Prendergast...

This work assesses the efficiency of the Codacs system actuator (Cochlear Ltd., Sydney Australia) in different inner ear stimulation modalities. Originally the actuator was intended for direct perilymph stimulation after stapedotomy using a piston prosthesis. A possible alternative application is the stimulation of middle ear structures or the round window (RW). Here the perilymph stimulation w...

This work assesses the efficiency of the Codacs system actuator (Cochlear Ltd., Sydney Australia) in different inner ear stimulation modalities. Originally the actuator was intended for direct perilymph stimulation after stapedotomy using a piston prosthesis. A possible alternative application is the stimulation of middle ear structures or the round window (RW). Here the perilymph stimulation w...