Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) in Adult Non-Neurofibromatosis Type 2 Subjects

April 23, 2020 updated by: Dr. Daniel Lee, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

Study of Nucleus 24 and ABI541 Auditory Brainstem Implants (ABI) in Adult Non-Neurofibromatosis Type 2 Subjects

The purpose of this research study is to determine whether Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) can improve hearing in persons who are deaf in both ears and are not candidates for cochlear implants.

Study Overview

Status

Terminated

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The goal of this MEEI Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) research study is to find new ways to improve hearing in patients who are deaf and cannot receive a cochlear implant. The ABI is a surgically placed bionic implant that converts sounds into electrical signals that are directly transmitted to the cochlear nucleus, the first auditory center of the brain. For many years, ABIs have improved the hearing of patients who are deaf due to brain tumors associated with a genetic syndrome called Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2). However, a number of recent studies suggest that deaf patients who do not have NF2 and are not eligible for a cochlear implant may also benefit from placement of an ABI. These preliminary studies suggest that these non-NF2 or "nontumor" patients may actually have better outcomes after ABI surgery than patients suffering from NF2. Patients who do not have NF2 and are deaf due to damage to the hearing nerves or inner ears from infection, disease or injury are not cochlear implant candidates and there are no other options to improve hearing in these cases except for the ABI. Thus, the purpose of our study is to carefully analyze whether ABI surgery improves the hearing and quality of life of non-NF2 patients based on subjective and objective measures of their hearing before and after ABI surgery. In particular, we plan to study ABI outcomes in non-NF2 patients, characterize the parameters used on their devices, and determine the safety profile of ABIs in these patients.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

3

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
        • Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • English as the primary language
  • Medically and psychologically suitable
  • Willing to receive/have received meningitis / pneumococcal vaccinations
  • Able to comply with study requirements, including travel to the investigational site

  • Cochlear or retrocochlear anomaly/pathology that interferes with transmission of auditory information from the cochleae to the brainstem, resulting in severe to profound bilateral deafness (thresholds of 90 dB or worse in both ears on pure tone audiometry ranging from 250 to 2,000 Hz and speech recognition scores ≤ 30% in both ears). All subjects will undergo bone conduction audiometry and tympanometry to confirm sensorineural hearing loss and rule out potential middle ear disorders.

    • Conditions that cannot be otherwise treated, with conventional hearing aids or cochlear implants. If CI were previously used, subjects will have had a failed response, defined as ≤ 30% speech recognition and patient perception of inadequate benefit to continue using the device.

    • Expected subjects include those with these diagnoses:

      • Bilaterally severe/completely ossified cochleae
      • Bilateral cochlear malformations leading to poor CI outcomes
      • Bilateral temporal bone fractures, where the VIIIth cranial nerves have been disrupted
      • Bilateral cochlear nerve agenesis
      • Not a CI candidate based on above listed pathology, intolerable adverse effects with CI (e.g. stimulation of the facial nerve), or Evoked Auditory Potential testing predictive of a poor response

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Anomalies/pathology involving the brainstem or cortex
  • Retrocochlear pathology due to NF2 or other types of cranial nerve or brainstem neoplasm
  • Co-existing medical conditions that require irradiation of the brainstem or auditory cortex
  • Medical or psychological conditions that serve as contraindication to surgery
  • Additional handicaps that would prevent or limit participation in evaluations
  • Unrealistic patient or family expectations regarding the benefits, risks, and limitations inherent to the procedure and the prosthetic device
  • Pregnant women

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Non-NF2 ABI surgery
All subjects will be part of a single arm involving placement of the Nucleus ABI541 Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) device. The Nucleus 24 was discontinued and is no longer available.
Device: Nucleus 24 (discontinued) and ABI541 Auditory Brainstem Implants (ABI)
Nucleus ABI541 Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) surgery followed by device activation, testing, and clinical assessment for five years following surgery.
Other Names:
  • ABI, Nucleus 24, Cochlear Americas, ABI541, Nucleus Profile

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Audiologic Performance
Time Frame: 12 months post-operative

Average pure tone threshold measured 12 months post-operatively. Measured in dB HL, where a lower threshold indicates more sensitive hearing and a higher threshold indicates less sensitive hearing.

We only included data from subjects that had auditory percept of any magnitude following ABI surgery (1/3 subjects).
12 months post-operative

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Daniel J Lee, MD, FACS, MEEI, HMS, MGH

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

November 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 25, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

April 25, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 26, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 26, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

November 29, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 6, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 23, 2020

Last Verified

April 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MEEI HSC 12-061

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Bilateral Hearing Loss for Causes Other Than Tumors

Clinical Trials on Nucleus 24 (discontinued) and ABI541 Auditory Brainstem Implants (ABI)

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Cameroon

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

3
Subscribe