Adjusting the geometry of implantable hearing aid components to human temporal bone. II: Microphone

Prerequisite to implantation of a piezoelectrical transducer of an implantable hearing aid is a shape allowing its implantation into human mastoid and middle ear. To approach this problem, a consecutive series of six transducer prototypes was created in an iterative process. Their functional geometry was evaluated in 50 human temporal bones. A shape for a functioning transducer was found which will enable implantation in 78% of the cases examined (confidence interval: 61.5%-89.2%). It will allow simultaneous implantation of the transducer into the mastoid and microphone, which is situated transmastoidal in the posterior wall of the ear canal. Furthermore, the transducer may be coupled to the ossicular chain or the perilymph.