Ear Center: Teaching & Research Activities

Totally Implantable Hearing Devices

ESTEEM™ Totally Implantable Hearing Device

Dr. Kraus was one of five U.S. co-investigators involved in the Envoy Medical Corporation investigational ESTEEM™ Totally Implantable Hearing Device Phase II FDA Clinical Trial that began in 2004. Dr. Kraus helped to develop many of the operative techniques used for implanting the first generation ESTEEM™. He has mentored all of the U.S. surgeon co-investigators (teams from Newport Beach, CA, Minneapolis, MN, Pittsburgh, PA, and Burlington, MA.), German surgeon investigators in Magdeburg, Koblenz, Kassel, Krefeld, and Cologne Germany, and surgeons from France, Italy, Belgium, England, Spain, Egypt, Dubai, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, South Africa, and Israel.

A second generation Envoy ESTEEM™ II Clinical Trial began in February, 2008. Dr. Kraus was one of three U.S. co-investigators partipating in the trial. Twenty-three study participants were successfully implanted.

The ESTEEM™ Totally Implantable Middle Ear Device was approved by the US FDA on March 17, 2010. The Esteem™ system received clearance in Europe, July 2006, and has been granted a CE mark.

 

Semi-Implantable Hearing Devices

Cochlear Implants

Dr. Eric M. Kraus

In 1987, Dr. Kraus was one of the original 15 co-investigators for Cochlear Corporation (now Cochlear Americas) during the Pediatric Cochlear Implant FDA Clinical Trial. It was the work of these co-investigators from across the United States that eventually led to U.S. FDA approval for pediatric cochlear implants in July, 1990.

Dr. Su Wooi Teoh

Dr. Teoh recently organized a Pediatric Cochlear Implant program in conjunction with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNC-G). Dr. Teoh and Dr. Kraus have joined the UNC-G faculty as adjunct clinical professors. Dr. Teoh is in the process of organizing the team.

Drs. Kraus and Teoh actively implant post-lingual adults and children with cochlear implants.

Educational Activities

Surgeons' Temporal Bone Training

1. ESTEEM™ Totally Implantable Hearing Device Training:

ESTEEM™ Surgeon Training: Dr. Kraus has been training otologic surgeons on implantable hearing device surgical techniques in the new state-of-the-art Temporal Bone Laboratory & Learning Center located adjacent to The Ear Center. Three day training courses were held in April, July, August, September, and November 2007. In 2008, courses were held in February, March, April, June, July, August, September, December of 2008. In 2009, courses were held in January, May, and November.

2. Kraus K-Helix Middle Ear Prostheses Training:

Dr. Kraus trained otologic surgeons from California, Connecticut, and North Carolina on July 25, 2008 and surgeons from Italy, Israel, and the United Kingdom on May 26-27, 2009 in the use of the new Kraus K-Helix prostheses (Kraus K-Helix Crown, Kraus K-Helix Piston) for middle ear reconstruction (endoskeletal ossicular reconstruction).

Scientific Oral Presentations

Click here for a list of Dr. Kraus's and Dr. Teoh's scientific oral presentations.

Last revised April 16, 2010