Partial ossicular reconstruction with a novel ball joint prosthesis – the mCLIP ARC partial prosthesis

Introduction Middle ear surgery involves reconstruction of the ossicular chain, predominately using rigid implants. New middle ear prostheses strive to mimic the physiologic micromovements of the ossicular chain and prevent protrusion.

Material and Methods 35 patients were included in a monocentric, prospective observational study. Patients received tympanoplasty with ossicular reconstruction using the mCLIP ARC partial prosthesis. This titanium prosthesis is equipped with a clip mechanism for coupling at the stapes and a ball joint connecting headplate and shaft. At short-term (ST) and mid-term (MT) follow-up, pure-tone audiometry was performed and the pure tone average of 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 kHz (PTA4) was calculated.

Results The new prosthesis shows favorable clinical results. Pure-tone audiometry showed satisfactory results in ST and MT follow-up, with the PTA4 air-bone gap (ABG) decreasing from 24.5 (±11) dB to 17.4 (±7.9) dB at the ST follow-up at 27 days to 15.6 (±10.3) dB at MT follow-up at 196 days (n=32). A PTA4-ABG value of less than 20 dB was achieved by 63% of patients at ST follow-up and by 77% at MT follow-up.

Conclusion The mCLIP ARC partial prosthesis, a new middle ear prosthesis with a balanced ball joint, shows promising audiological results and is a safe and effective choice for patients with chronic ear disease.

Publication History

Article published online:
19 April 2024