Bilateral Vestibular Loss Clinical Trial
Official title:
VertiGO! - Get up and GO! With the Vestibular Implant
In the VertiGO! trial 13 participants with bilateral vestibulopathy (BV) and severe sensory neural hearing loss in the ear to be implanted will receive a combined cochlear (CI) and vestibular implant (VI), capable of stimulating both the cochlear and vestibular nerves (CVI). The participants will make use of this combined stimulation during 3 weeks of prolonged use under supervision in a hospital environment. This trial will serve as a proof-of-concept for restoring vestibular function in patients with BV, an as-of-yet untreatable disorder causing severe impairment and discomfort. The aims of this trial are to investigate efficacy and safety of prolonged vestibular stimulation, to identify the influence of different stimulation algorithms, to assess the feasibility of the combined VI/CI device, to develop a VI rehabilitation program and to further build on the fundamental knowledge of vestibular organ stimulation while also taking into account the patient perspective.
The vestibular sensory organ is essential for balance and image stabilization. Patients with severe function loss of both vestibular organs present themselves with serious day-to-day disabilities such as strong balance disturbances, higher risk of falling, visual symptoms (oscillopsia) and a loss of autonomy. Up until now no effective treatment is available for these patients to restore vestibular function. In the past years experimental electric stimulation of the vestibular nerve in humans by means of a VI has shown to be able to partly restore balance and gaze functionality in test situations. To evaluate combined prolonged stimulation of both the vestibular organ and the cochlea, participants will be implanted with a CVI. This modified CI also consists of 3 vestibular electrodes, each placed in individual electrode leads for insertion into the three semicircular canals. Therefore the CVI is capable of stimulating both the cochlear and vestibular nerves. Hearing rehabilitation with the CI part of the device will follow the standard clinical protocol, with the participant using a standard CI processor. Functionality of prolonged combined vestibular and cochlear stimulation will be assessed using a research processor during 3 weeks (3x4 days, +- 8 hours a day) of prolonged stimulation under supervision in the safety of a hospital environment. During each identical period of 4 days a different stimulation algorithm will be used for vestibular stimulation, with the order being randomized and single-blinded. The stimulation algorithms which will be used are (1) baseline stimulation without motion modulation, (2) baseline stimulation with motion modulation, and (3) reduced baseline stimulation with motion modulation. Alongside the 3 weeks of prolonged stimulation, the participant will make yearly visits to our clinic up to 5 years after implantation for evaluation of long-term response to acute vestibular stimulation and general CI performance. ;