MIDDLE EAR IMPLANT AND METHOD

• US 20110144414A1
• Filed: 10/01/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ototronix, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ototronix, LLC
• Inventors: Kraus, Eric M., Hollnagel, Eric M., Spearman, Michael R., Spearman, Brian M.
• Application Number:
  US12/896,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20110144414A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window

Abstract

An improved middle ear implant and method are disclosed. The invention particularly relates to magnetic implants and to attachment devices and methods for mounting a magnet in the middle ear of a patient. The implant comprises a wire-form and a magnet disposed in a housing. The method may comprise the steps of: positioning a magnet in optimal alignment; and attaching said magnet to an ossicle in the middle ear. The method may further comprise the step of using a wire-form to attach the implant to the ossicle. Still further, the method may comprise the step of anchoring the implant to the ossicle with biological cement.

Claims

1. A method of attachment for a middle ear implant, comprising the steps of:

positioning a magnet in optimal alignment with an electromagnetic coil or extra-coil electromagnetic transducer; and

attaching said magnet to at least a portion of an ossicle in the middle ear.

2. The method of claim 1, where the magnet is disposed in a housing.

3. The method of claim 2, where the housing is a hermetically sealed, commercially pure titanium canister.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the canister has a lid, and the lid of the canister is welded to the main body of the housing in an inert gas environment, excluding oxygen from the canister.

5. The method of claim 2, where the magnet is a rare earth permanent magnet.

6. The method of claim 5, where the magnet is Nd 2 Fe.sub.14 B.

7. The method of claim 1, where the implant is attached to the at least a portion of an ossicle with biological cement.

8. The method of claim 7, where the biological cement is selected from the group consisting of hydroxylapatite and glass ionomer.

9. The method of claim 7, where the implant is first attached to the at least a portion of an ossicle using a wire-form and then anchored into optimal alignment by biological cement.

10. The method of claim 9, where the wire-form is in an open-loop configuration made with wire.

11. The method of claim 9, where the wire-form is in an open-loop configuration made with a band.

12. The method of claim 9, where the wire-form is in a clamshell loop configuration made with wire.

13. The method of claim 9, where the wire-form is in a clamshell loop configuration made with a band.

14. The method of claim 9, where the wire-form is a U-shape configuration made with wire.

15. The method of claim 9, where the wire-form is a U-shape configuration made with a band.

16. The method of claim 9, where the wire-form configuration facilitates wicking of cement into the wire-form structure.

17. The method of claim 9, where the wire-form is a biocompatible material.

18. The method of claim 17, where the biocompatible material is selected from the group consisting of gold, stainless steel, and titanium.

19. The method of claim 17, where the biocompatible material is an alloy of titanium, aluminum and vanadium.

20. The method of claim 17 where the biocompatible material is TiAl₆V₄.

21. The method of claim 17 where the biocompatible material is an alloy with shape memory properties.

22. The method of claim 21 where the alloy with shape memory properties is an alloy of nickel-titanium.

23. The method of claim 17 where the biocompatible material is a bi-metal.

24. The method of claim 10 where the wire wire-form is nominally 0.15 mm in diameter.

25. The method of claim 12 where the wire wire-form is nominally 0.15 mm in diameter.

26. The method of claim 14 where the wire wire-form is nominally 0.15 mm in diameter.

27. The method of claim 11 where the band wire-form is nominally 0.1 mm thick.

28. The method of claim 13 where the band wire-form is nominally 0.1 mm thick.

29. The method of claim 15 where the band wire-form is nominally 0.1 mm thick.

30. A middle ear implant comprising:

a magnet disposed in a housing; and

an attachment device to attach the housing to at least a portion of an ossicle in the middle ear of a patient

31. The implant of claim 30, where the housing is a hermetically sealed, commercially pure titanium canister.

32. The implant of claim 31, wherein the canister has a lid, and the lid of canister is welded to the main body of the housing in an inert gas environment, excluding oxygen from the canister.

33. The implant of claim 30, where the magnet is a rare earth permanent magnet.

34. The implant of claim 33, where the magnet is Nd.sub.2 Fe.sub.14 B.

35. The implant of claim 30, where the implant is attached to at least a portion of an ossicle of the middle ear with biological cement.

36. The implant of claim 35, where the biological cement is selected from the group consisting of hydroxylapatite and glass ionomer.

37. The implant of claim 30, where the implant is attached to the at least a portion of an ossicle using a wire-form and anchored into optimal alignment with an electromagnetic coil or extra-coil electromagnetic transducer by biological cement.

38. The implant of claim 37, where the wire-form is in an open-loop configuration made with wire.

39. The implant of claim 37, where the wire-form is in an open-loop configuration made with a band.

40. The implant of claim 37, where the wire-form is in a clamshell loop configuration made with wire.

41. The implant of claim 37, where the wire-form is in a clamshell loop configuration made with a band.

42. The implant of claim 37, where the wire-form is a U-shape configuration made with wire.

43. The implant of claim 37, where the wire-form is a U-shape configuration made with a band.

44. The implant of claim 37, where the wire-form configuration facilitates wicking of cement into the wire-form structure.

45. The implant of claim 37, where the wire-form is a biocompatible material.

46. The implant of claim 45, where the biocompatible material is selected from the group consisting of gold, stainless steel, and titanium.

47. The implant of claim 45, where the biocompatible material is an alloy of titanium, aluminum and vanadium.

48. The implant of claim 45, where the biocompatible material is TiAI₆V₄.

49. The implant of claim 45, where the biocompatible material is an alloy with shape memory properties.

50. The implant of claim 49, where the alloy with shape memory properties is an alloy of nickel-titanium.

51. The implant of claim 45, where the biocompatible material is a bi-metal.

52. The implant of claim 38 where the wire wire-form is nominally 0.15 mm in diameter.

53. The implant of claim 40 where the wire wire-form is nominally 0.15 mm in diameter.

54. The implant of claim 42 where the wire wire-form is nominally 0.15 mm in diameter.

55. The implant of claim 39 where the band wire-form is nominally 0.1 mm thick.

56. The implant of claim 41 where the band wire-form is nominally 0.1 mm thick.

57. The implant of claim 43 where the band wire-form is nominally 0.1 mm thick.