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Hearing Results of Titanium Ossiculoplasty in Taiwan

Objective: The choice of ossicular prosthesis depends on middle ear condition, including ossicle autograft, polycel, and titanium materials. We applied titanium ossicular prosthesis since 2008. The objective of this study was to evaluate the hearing results of ossicloplasty using titanium prosthesis. This is the first report in Asian people. Method: Between October 2008 and March 2011, we included 76 chronic ear patients with similar hearing levels and pathogens who had undergone ossiculoplasty by the same surgeon with titanium prosthesis. The hearing evaluation was completed at least 6 months postoperatively. Hearing was evaluated by the average of 0.5K, 1K, and 2K. Results: Among 76 patients, there were 58 with the postoperative air-bone gap below 20 dB, accounting for 76%. We divided patients into 2 groups, the traumatic ossicular destruction and chronic ear groups. In the traumatic group, the postoperative air-bone gap was below 20 dB for 8 out of 9 patients, accounting for 88%, and in the chronic ear group, 49 out of 67 patients, or 73%. Furthermore, the overall extrusion rate is 4%, 3 in 76 patients. The frequently used functional length is 2.0 mm and accounts for 90%. Conclusion: We share our preliminary hearing results using titanium ossicular prosthesis in recent 3 years in Taiwan. The overall results are excellent, about 3 out of 4 patients have air-bone gap below 20 dB postoperatively, especially in traumatic cases, up to 88%. The extrusion rate is rather low as 4%.