1,721,138 research outputs found
The transcanal approach for the Vibrant Soundbridge: the experience of the clinic in Pisa
No full textIntroduction. The Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) is a middle ear implant for the treatment of the sensorineural hearing loss, for patients who can not benefit from conventional hearing aids. The standard approach for VSB implantation includes a post-auricular S-shaped incision, mastoidectomy whit posterior tympanotomy, the fixation of the implant to the temporal bone, and crimping of the vibrator on the incus through the posterior tympanotomy. Objectives. The goal of this presentation is to suggest a minimal surgical procedure to place the VSB. Methods. We place the VSB in four patients adapting a minimal post-auricular S-shaped incision. The vibrator was crimped on the incus through a transcanal approach. A small channel in the external wall was drilled in order to position the cable. Results. All patients were tested following a standard evaluation protocol. The preliminary results are described and discussed for each single case. Conclusion. The possibility of the transcanal approach for the VSB can reduce the risk of the facial nerve damage if special care is taken on the channel for the cable. Moreover, the technique may reduce the time needed to perform the surgery and reduce potential flap complications being a good cosmetic solution at the same time
Neuronal responses to tilt within the rat cerebellar vermis
No full textCats corticocerebellar units within the anterior vermis are affected by the vestibular input and show directionally tuned responses. The aim of the study was investigating whether a similar representation of labyrinth signals was present in the rat cerebellar vermis by recording units activity during tilt and wobble rotations. The analysis of the neuronal discharge during both clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) wobble allowed to determine the spatial (preferred direction) and temporal (response phase) response properties of the recorded neurons. Many units were affected by labyrinthine stimulation. "Bi-directional" units responded to both CW and CCW stimuli, being characterized by a direction of maximal sensitivity (theta(max)), the distribution of which covered all the sectors of the horizontal plane, with contralaterally pointing vectors more represented within the caudal part of the explored region. Differences in the amplitude of the CW and CCW responses indicated that neurons received a convergence of vestibular signals endowed with different spatial and temporal properties, a process that is expected to link their response phase with the tilt direction. Population vector analysis showed that recorded neurons coded both the amplitude and direction of head tilt during different types of rotational stimuli. In conclusion, the present results show that the processing of vestibular signals with complex spatiotemporal properties represents a general function of the mammalian cerebellar vermis, allowing accurate monitoring of head rotational movements (of the head) in vertical planes. Finally, in rats, different cerebellar regions seem to receive specific vestibular inputs
L’impiego delle protesi impiantabili di orecchio medio nella otosclerosi con sordità di tipo misto di entità medio-grave
No full textChirurgia di impianto vibrant soundbridge su catena ossiculare integra: tecnica chirurgica classica e sue varianti
No full text
- …
