Vestibular Implantation to Treat Adult-Onset Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction
United States8 participantsStarted 2023-02-28
Plain-language summary
Although cochlear implants can restore hearing to individuals who have lost cochlear hair cell function, there is no widely available, adequately effective treatment for individuals suffering chronic imbalance, postural instability and unsteady vision due to bilateral vestibular hypofunction. Prior research focused on ototoxic cases has demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the vestibular nerve via a chronically implanted multichannel vestibular implant can partially restore vestibular reflexes that normally maintain steady posture and vision; improve performance on objective measures of postural stability and gait; and improve patient-reported disability and health-related quality of life. This single-arm open-label study extends that research to evaluate outcomes for up to 8 individuals with non-ototoxic bilateral vestibular hypofunction, yielding a total of fifteen adults (age 22-90 years at time of enrollment) divided as equally as possible between ototoxic and non-ototoxic cases.
Who can participate
Age range22 Years – 90 Years
SexALL
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Inclusion criteria
✓. Adults age 22-90 years diagnosed with ototoxic, idiopathic or non-ototoxic/non-central bilateral vestibular hypofunction inadequately responsive to vestibular rehabilitation for greater than 1 year as determined by pre-inclusion history, vestibular testing and clinical examination conducted by a board-certified neurotologist, neurologist or other physician skilled in diagnosis of vestibular disorders
✓. Hearing status: (1) Hearing in the candidate ear for implantation is equivalent to or worse than that in the contralateral ear; and (2) hearing in the contralateral ear is good enough to allow functional communication in case hearing in the implanted ear is lost after implantation. Specifically, the contralateral ear must satisfy all of the following criteria:
✓. 0.5/1/2/4 kHz pure-tone-average threshold (PTA) hearing better than (i.e., less than) 70 dB HL; and
✓. ear-specific sentence recognition score using the recorded AzBio Sentence Test presented at 60 dB SPL-A in quiet must be \>60% when tested under either the unaided condition or, if 0.5/1/2/4 kHz PTA\>50 dB, the best-aided condition; and
✓. ear-specific word recognition score using the recorded Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant (CNC) Word Recognition Test presented at 60 dBHL in quiet must be \>60% when tested under either the unaided condition or, if 0.5/1/2/4 kHz PTA\>50 dB, the best-aided condition
✓. Caloric responses consistent with severe or profound bilateral loss of labyrinthine function, as indicated by one or more of the following: (a) summed speed of caloric responses to warm and cool supine caloric stimuli totaling \<10°/sec per ear for each of both ears; (b) summed speed of ice water caloric responses during supine and prone head orientation tests totaling \<10°/sec per ear for each of both ears; or (c) speed of ice water caloric responses during supine head orientation tests \<5°/sec per ear for each of both ears, with a lack of nystagmus reversal on quickly flipping from supine to prone
What they're measuring
1
PM1.1: Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) during motion-modulated implant stimulation at 6 months post-implantation, relative to pre-operative baseline, aggregated across all implant users.
Timeframe: Pre-intervention to 6 months post-implantation
2
PM1.2: Gain (VHITG) of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, as measured using the video head impulse test averaged for the three implanted semicircular canals, relative to pre-operative baseline, aggregated across all implant users.
Timeframe: Pre-intervention to 6 months post-implantation
✓. Prior MRI imaging of the brain, internal auditory canals and cerebellopontine (CP) angle showing a patent labyrinth, present vestibular nerve, patent cochlea, present cochlear nerve, and absence of internal auditory canal/cerebellopontine angle tumors or other central causes of vestibulo-ocular reflex dysfunction or sensorineural hearing loss
✓. Prior CT imaging of the temporal bones showing a facial nerve canal with normal caliber and course, middle ear without evidence of chronic otitis media or tympani membrane perforation or cholesteatoma, a mastoid cavity with adequate aeration for surgical access to each semicircular canal, skull thickness ≥3 mm at the planned well site, and scalp soft tissue thickness ≤7 mm. This criterion may be satisfied without additional imaging if an existing head CT or MRI already demonstrates those findings
Exclusion criteria
✕. Inability to understand the procedures and the potential risks involved as determined by study staff
✕. Inability to participate in study procedures due to blindness, ≤ ±10° neck range of motion, cervical spine instability, ear canal stenosis or malformation sufficient to prevent caloric testing
✕. Diagnosis of acoustic neuroma/vestibular schwannoma, chronic middle ear disease, cholesteatoma, or central nervous system causes of vestibulo-ocular reflex dysfunction, including chronic and continuing use of medications, drugs or alcohol at doses sufficiently great to interfere with vestibular compensation
✕. Vestibular dysfunction known to be caused by reasons other than labyrinthine injury due to ototoxicity, ischemia, trauma, infection, Meniere's disease, or genetic defects known to act on hair cells
✕. Lack of labyrinth patency or vestibular nerve as determined by MRI of the brain with attention to the internal acoustic meatus
✕. Any contraindication to the planned surgery, anesthesia, device activation and deactivation, or participation in study assessments, as determined by the surgeon, anesthesiologist, or designee, including known intolerance of any materials used in any component of the investigational devices that will come in contact with the subject
✕. History of myocardial infarction, coronary bypass surgery, or any percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 6 months prior to screening
✕. Orthopedic, neurologic or other nonvestibular pathologic conditions of sufficient severity to confound posture and gait testing or other tests used in the study to assay vestibular function.