Oliver F. Adunka, MD

Oliver F. Adunka, MD, started his appointment as Assistant Professor in July 2007 and continues to work on clinical and experimental topics in otology, neurotology, and lateral skull base surgery. His otologic research has a special focus on cochlear implantation. Dr. Adunka is the PI of the combined electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) clinical trial. UNC is leading enrollment of this North American clinical trial, which evaluates safety and efficacy of combining electric and acoustic hearing. Dr. Adunka’s research has also focused on other clinical topics of cochlear implantation and sensorineural hearing loss. Together with Dr. Buchman, for example, he has helped to establish a clinical protocol for children with cochlear nerve deficiency.

Another main area of research has been the human temporal bone laboratory. Within the last year, the focus of this new lab has been to establish detailed protocols for this special sawing, grinding, and polishing technique. This method allows for sectioning of un-decalcified bone with hard materials such as cochlear implant electrode contacts left in situ. Thus, a very accurate and detailed assessment of cochlear implant electrode insertion trauma can be accomplished. The first temporal bones have been implanted for several investigations. Preliminary data will be available in the next few months.

Also, Dr. Adunka has established collaboration efforts with Dr. Narayan from the joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC and NS State University. The primary goal of this collaboration is to develop a middle ear prosthesis using rapid prototyping. This research is currently ongoing and a new prosthesis design has been developed and will be evaluated in the human temporal bone laboratory.

Together with the Office of Technology Development at UNC, Dr. Buchman and Dr. Adunka have applied for a US and International Patent to provide intracochlear measurements of acoustically evoked auditory potentials. This new technology should provide improved means to monitory hearing during hearing preservation cochlear implantation. Also, this method might be helpful in the direct assessment of hair cell function rather than to gather in-direct data via conventional audiometric evaluation. The patent application has recently been published with the US Patent and Trademark Office.