45 results about "Auditory ossicle" patented technology

An auditory ossicle prosthesis with a first and a second securing element for mechanical securement in the middle ear as well as a connecting element, which is rigidly connected to the securing elements and connects them to each other and has a receiving part and a push-in part that can be pushed into a receiving opening of the same, the connecting element being designed so as to be variable in length in the axial direction between the receiving part and the push-in part, and it being possible for the receiving part and the push-in part to be clamped in a desired relative coaxial pushed-in position, characterized in that the clamping force F_K between the receiving part and the push-in part in the clamped state is at least 10 times, preferably approximately 100 times, greater than the maximum external forces naturally occurring in the middle ear in the region of the ossicles. In this way it is possible in a simple manner for a desired, defined length of the prosthesis to be established even before it is clamped in between the two securing points, and for this length to be maintained exactly with a lasting effect even after completion of the operation, for example after the insertion of a second securing element, formed as a piston, through a perforated stirrup footplate.

An auditory ossicle prosthesis (10) which comprises, at one end, a plate-shaped first securing element (11) for bearing on the tympanic membrane or on the footplate of the stirrup, and, at the other end, a second securing element (12) for mechanical connection to the ossicular chain or to the inner ear, and also a connection element (13) that connects the two securing elements so as to conduct sound, wherein the first securing element has a radially inner coupling area (14) for coupling the first securing element to the connection element, and also a plurality of web elements (15) for radial connection of the coupling area to radially outer portions (16) of the first securing element, is characterized in that the coupling area, the web elements and the radially outer portions are of such a geometric configuration, and their material so chosen, that a plastic deformation is effected by stretching or pushing together in the plane of the plate of the first securing element, by means of which plastic deformation the external diameter of the first securing element is permanently increased or reduced. This means that the number of different prostheses to be kept ready during an operation can be reduced to a single standard prosthesis, without losing the possibility of optimal adaptation of the prosthesis to the specific case of use.

The invention discloses an artificial auditory ossicle for treating a mixed hearing damage. The artificial auditory ossicle comprises a top tray, a connection bar, a piezoelectric device and a stapes clamp, wherein the top tray is fixed on an eardrum in an operation implantation manner; one end of the connection bar is connected with the top tray; the other end of the connection bar is connected with the base end of the piezoelectric device; the piezoelectric device mainly comprises piezoelectric stacks; the action end of the piezoelectric device is connected with the base end of the stapes clamp; and the action end of the stapes clamp directly acts on stapes. The artificial auditory ossicle not only can be used for replacing a damaged auditory ossicle like a traditional artificial auditory ossicle so as to treat a conductive hearing loss, but also has an active shock excitation ability so as to compensate an accompanied sensorineural hearing loss. In addition, the active auditory ossicle can work under the environment of high-intensity magnetic field and has the advantages of low energy consumption and good high-frequency gain. The artificial auditory ossicle also has the advantages of simple structure, high ireliability, low manufacturing cost and low price, thereby being convenient for widely popularization.

Disclosed is a hearing compensation actuator capable of bidirectional positioning. The actuator comprises a lead wire, an embedded member, a fixation member and a coupling rod. The actuator employs a piezoelectric stack as a vibration element, is miniaturized in structure, is fixed at a scull through the fixation member and provides a supporting condition for the embedded member; the embedded member realizes axial positioning through threaded connection and realizes radial positioning through spherical pair connection, and a bidirectional positioning function facilitates operative implantation; and the length of the coupling rod is adjustable, and the coupling rod can act on different ear auditory ossicles and meets the treatment requirement for sensorineural and conductive hearing damage. The hearing compensation actuator provided by the invention is reasonable in design and simple in structure, thereby being applied to optimized design of a hearing-aid apparatus.

An implantable microphone for use in hearing systems includes a housing having a back wall. The back wall has a recess (e.g., blind hole) configured to be coupled to an auditory ossicle. The implantable microphone also includes a membrane coupled to a top portion of the housing and a vibration sensor adjacent to the membrane. The membrane is configured to move in response to movement from the auditory ossicle, and the vibration sensor is configured to measure the movement of the membrane and to convert the measurement into an electrical signal.

Provided is a small and lightweight device for treating Meniere's disease and similar conditions that is transported by a patient and gives a safe and correct treatment when used by the patient. The portable device treats Meniere's disease and similar conditions by introducing pressure pulses to the ear canal so as to vibrate the auditory ossicles through the tympanic membrane. It comprises a pump unit for generating the pressure pulses, the earpiece for transmitting the pressure pulses to the tympanic membrane, and the controller for controlling the pump unit. The period, pressure, width, and frequency of the pressure pulses are adjustable.

An implantable microphone for use in hearing systems includes a housing having a sidewall, a first membrane coupled to a top portion of the housing and configured to move in response to movement from an auditory ossicle, and a second membrane coupled to the sidewall such that an interior volume of the housing is divided into a first volume and a second volume. The first volume has an opening that permits fluid to flow out from the first volume. The implantable microphone also includes a vibration sensor coupled to the second membrane and configured to measure the movement of the second membrane and to convert the measurement into an electrical signal. The vibration sensor may include a piezoelectric sensor and/or a MEMS sensor.

An auditory ossicle prosthesis (10) which comprises, at one end, a plate-shaped first securing element (11) for bearing on the tympanic membrane or on the footplate of the stirrup, and, at its other end, a second securing element (12) for mechanical connection to the ossicular chain or to the inner ear, and also a connection element (13) that connects the two securing elements so as to conduct sound, wherein the first- securing element has a radially inner coupling area (14) for coupling the first securing element to the connection element, and also a plurality of web elements (15, 15′, 15″) for radial connection of the coupling area to radially outer portions (16, 16′, 16″) of the first securing element, is characterized in that the web elements are of such a geometric configuration, and their material so chosen, that the web elements can be easily broken off and the radially outer portions appended to them detached from the first securing element, such that the external diameter of the first securing element is reduced in this area. This means that the number of different prostheses to be kept ready during an operation can be reduced to a single standard prosthesis, without losing the possibility of optimal adaptation of the prosthesis to the specific case of use.

A test appliance (1) with an auditory ossicle prosthesis (2), which is made at least partially of a shape-memory material and which has a first securing element (2a), for mechanical connection to the ear drum or to a member of the auditory ossicle chain, and a second securing element (2b), for connection to another member of the auditory ossicle chain or for connection directly to the inner ear, and a connection element (2c) connecting the two securing elements, wherein the prosthesis is subjected to a shape-modifying thermal treatment upon implantation in the middle ear, is characterized in that it comprises a device for determining an optimized power setting and/or energy application site for the processing of the prosthesis parts that are to be treated thermally during the operation and contains a prosthesis dummy (3) which mimics the prosthesis and which, in those areas where the associated prosthesis is intended to be treated thermally during the operation, is constructed identically to the prosthesis in terms of material, geometric configuration and method of production. This permits, shortly before implantation of the middle-ear prosthesis, an intraoperative and contact-free determination of the optimal parameter settings for the thermal treatment devices available.

The present invention provides an ear probe capable of improving detection precision of probe sound input to a microphone, and an impedance audiometer including the ear probe. The ear probe (1) is used for the impedance audiometer used in auditory ossicle muscle reflex inspection, and the ear probe (1) comprises: an opening (8), a microphone (5), a transmission path (14) from the opening (8) to the microphone (5), and an acoustical filter (15) disposed on the transmission path (14) and used for reducing sound pressure of a stimulation sound component before the stimulation sound component arriving the microphone. The acoustical filter (15) comprises a sound volume (7) connected with a pipe (13) and an acoustic impedance pipe (6). The cut-off frequency of the acoustical filter (15) is a value more than 226Hz and less than 500Hz.

An auditory ossicle prosthesis (10) with a sound transmitting prosthesis body (13) has first and second coupling elements (11, 12) provided at opposite ends. A stabiliser element (14) fixes the prosthesis on a level with the plane of the tympanic membrane and stabilizes the position of the prosthesis in the middle ear. A fixation part (14.2) anchors the Y-shaped stabiliser element at one or more places of the ear canal wall. The fixation part includes two hooked anchoring elements (16) that secure the fixation part in artificially drilled holes in the ear canal wall. The auditory ossicle prosthesis has a particularly simple and compact design and stays spatially fixed within very small variations in its initial position after implantation inside the middle ear cavity, providing effective protection against post-operative dislocation, tilting or tipping and without deteriorating sound transmission properties of the prosthesis.

The invention relates to a HAP/HDPE complex artificial auditory ossicle and the preparation method. The invention is composed of an auditory plate and a column made of HAP/HDPE polymer-based nano composites with 0 per cent to 40 per cent HAP weight content. The preparation process comprises the HAP powder preparation, HAP/HDPE complex powder preparation and artificial auditory ossicle preparation. The HAP/HDPE complex artificial auditory ossicle has good biocompatibility with no any negative reaction and swelling, can not be absorbed, and keeps long stability and improves the dual characters of the bone induction and conduction. Being simple in structure and low in cost, the invention is quite suitable for mass production.

The invention discloses an auditory ossicle fixing stent which comprises an elliptical disc. The elliptical disc is matched with the inner wall and the outer wall of the middle ear cavity and the elliptical pit above a tympanic nerve, a through hole is formed in the center of the elliptical disc, the through hole is arranged in a penetrating manner in the thickness direction of the elliptical disc, and the diameter of the through hole is 0.2-0.9 mm, the through hole is used for being matched with the rod portion of an ossicular prosthesis, the elliptical disc is provided with an empty groove,the empty groove extends from the periphery of the elliptical disc to the through hole, and the width of the empty groove is 0.1-0.5 mm. The auditory ossicle fixing stent is applied to clinical auditory ossicular chain reconstruction surgery, is suitable for auditory ossicle prosthesis implantation (aiming at the condition of total auditory ossicle replacement), corrects the movement direction ofan auditory ossicle prosthesis base when the auditory ossicle prosthesis base is separated from the center of an operation fixing position of the auditory ossicle prosthesis base, assists in fixing the auditory ossicle prosthesis, prevents the auditory ossicle prosthesis from escaping, meets the bone conduction of the auditory ossicle prosthesis and ensures the movement of the auditory ossicle prosthesis within a certain range.

The invention relates to a novel hearing compensation actuator in the technical field of hearing aids. The actuator comprises a fixed supporting device, a piezoelectric component, a casing, a coupling rod and springs, wherein the fixed supporting device is implanted and fixed in the skull, the piezoelectric component is formed by piezoelectric stacks, one end of the piezoelectric component is connected with the fixed supporting device, the other end of the piezoelectric component is connected with the base portion of the coupling rod, the acting end of the coupling rod directly acts on an auditory ossicle of the middle ear, the coupling rod is connected to the side surface of the casing via the springs, vibration balance is realized by the reaction force of the springs, and displacement of the coupling rod can be controlled. The hearing compensation actuator can work in the environment of strong magnetic field, work of the actuator does not require a complete hearing chain of a patient, and the patient with mixed hearing damage can be treated. In addition, the hearing compensation actuator also has the advantages that the high-frequency gain is high, serious sensorineural hearing damage can be compensated, design is reasonable, the structure is simple, and the actuator is suitable for optimal design of the hearing aid.

The invention discloses a method for manufacturing total auditory ossicle prosthesis. The method is characterized by comprising the following steps of: manufacturing a model prosthesis of a total auditory ossicle by adopting a titanium material, wherein the model prosthesis consists of a mesh end and a strip handle, the mesh end is a rectangular slice provided with a circular hole, and the strip handle and the mesh end are in 'L'-shaped right-angled connection; and after the model prosthesis is adaptively regulated and corrected, correcting the geometric dimension of a standard prosthesis of the total auditory ossicle so that the standard prosthesis and the model prosthesis of the total auditory ossicle are totally matched. Compared with the prior art, the method greatly avoids and reduces standard prosthesis waste caused by over correction, greatly saves the surgery cost, and has simple manufacture and good adaptability.

The invention discloses a tongue-shaped five-jaw type auditory ossicle prosthesis. The prosthesis comprises a top plate, a connecting rod and a stapes clamp; the side edge of the top plate is providedwith an S-shaped supporting tongue body, the supporting tongue body can be matched with the malleus, and the top plate is connected with the connecting rod through a ball-and-socket joint; the stapesclamp is of a five-jaw structure. The supporting tongue body is arranged to be matched with the malleus so that good support can be formed between the auditory ossicle prosthesis and the malleus, andthe stability is enhanced; the top plate is connected with the connecting rod through the ball-and-socket joint, the angle between the top plate and the connecting rod can be flexibly and conveniently adjusted, and requirements of different patients can be met; the stapes clamp is arranged to be of the five-jaw structure, so that the tightness of the stapes clamp is appropriate when connected with the stapes, and the stapes cannot be injured due to excessively high tightness and cannot fall off due to excessively low tightness.

The invention provides an artificial tympanum. The artificial tympanum comprises a support body and an elastic body, the elastic body is capable of vibrating under the action of sound waves, the elastic body is used for supporting an artificial auditory ossicle, the support body is placed in the tympanum and supports and fixes the elastic body to corresponding position, the support body is fixedlyconnected with the elastic body, and the elastic body supports the artificial tympanum in a specific direction. The provided artificial tympanum can be applied to situations of auditory tube afunction and occupation of the tympanum by scar tissues, the artificial tympanum is implanted into a tympanum where an aerated cavity cannot be reconstructed, the entire tympanum is occupied, tympanum adhesion can be prevented by the support body, a tympanic cavity is occupied, and the scar is prevented from filling up the entire tympanum; and the tympanum composed of the support body and the elastic body replaces the original tympanum cavity, and the combination of the elastic body and the artificial ossicle is used for replacing the tympanum and a human ossicular chain to complete transmission of sound to an inner ear.