Neuro-otology
- Action & Repair
- Neuro-otology
Presentation of research activities
The interdisciplinary translational auditory research unit is investigating the ear, hearing and balance seeking for novel and innovative treatment approaches. Our sense of hearing is among the most vital abilities as it serves as a bridge to the world starting already at the 8th week of pregnancy. Above all, it enables us to connect with people, facilitating communication in ways unmatched by our other senses. As the famous deafblind disability rights activist, Helen Keller said: ”Blindness separates us from things, but deafness separates us from people.”
Hearing loss is a significant global problem, affecting more than 5% of the world’s population. The focus of our laboratory is in describing structural and physiological mechanisms, identifying treatment targets and developing innovative therapeutic solutions. The main axis of structural research relies on the endoscopic anatomy of the middle ear and the interface between the ear and the central nervous system. To this end direct endoscopic observations are correlated to advanced imaging techniques such as multiscale Synchrotron-based X-ray Phase-contrast Imaging. Moreover, dynamic imaging methods were recently developed, in order to decode the transfer function of the middle ear and to finally improve success of reconstructive surgery. In a SNSF funded project in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute this approach has been developed. Moreover, the use of grating interferometry computed tomography is actually developed to be applied to the hearing system in an interdisciplinary project involving the ETH and the University Hospital of Zurich. This project was recently approved for funding by the SNSF.
Regarding neuroscientific investigations, a direct approach to cortical auditory coding is investigated using soft surface electrodes in order to develop a cortical auditory implant.
Lukas Anschütz
Prof. Anschütz is Head of Otology and Neurotology at the University Hospital of Lausanne, CHUV and serves as Associate Professor at the University of Lausanne. He received his medical degree 2011 at the University of Bern and was consecutively trained in Otorhinolaryngology in Bern and Fribourg. He spent 2016 one year in Modena, Italy with Prof. Livio Presutti, where he got passioned for endoscopic ear and lateral skull base surgery. The implementation of this innovative minimal-invasive treatment strategy allows to surgically heal a diversity of pathologies of the auditory system.
He received the Venia docendi at the University of Bern in 2020 and was appointed as Associate Professor in 2022. He has a special interest in interdisciplinary research and developed several projects involving biomedical engineers, biologists, physicists, psychologists, neuroscientists and medical education specialists. Pre- and postgraduate education is a very important part of his activity. Besides his regular teaching appointments for medical students, he developed the Swiss Endoscopic Ear Surgery course and has been a faculty member in several surgical courses internationally. Using innovative research methodologies such as eye tracking, he investigates the impact of the endoscopic approach to middle ear anatomy and surgical skills teaching. Moreover, he developed an ovine model for surgical training and was awarded “Teacher of the year” in 2022.
Rue du Bugnon 46
1011 Lausanne
Suisse
Partnership
Key publications
The human middle ear in motion: 3D visualization and quantification using dynamic synchrotron-based X-ray imaging
Schmeltz, M., Ivanovic, A., Schlepütz, C.M. et al. The human middle ear in motion: 3D visualization and quantification using dynamic synchrotron-based X-ray imaging. Commun Biol 7, 157 (2024).
Accuracy of High-Resolution Computed Tomography Compared to High-Definition Ear Endoscopy to Assess Cholesteatoma Extension
Beckmann, S., Hool, S. L., Yacoub, A., Hakim, A., Caversaccio, M., Wagner, F., & Anschuetz, L. (2023). Accuracy of High‐Resolution Computed Tomography Compared to High‐Definition Ear Endoscopy to Assess Cholesteatoma Extension. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 169(5), 1276-1281.
Training and proficiency level in endoscopic sinus surgery change residents’ eye movements
Niederhauser, L., Gunser, S., Waser, M. et al. Training and proficiency level in endoscopic sinus surgery change residents’ eye movements. Sci Rep 13, 79 (2023)
Novel Multiportal Approach to the Internal Auditory Canal for Hearing-Preserving Surgery: Feasibility Assessment in Dissections
Butzer, T., Sheppard, S. C., Beckmann, S., Wimmer, W., Caversaccio, M., & Anschuetz, L. (2022). Novel multiportal approach to the internal auditory canal for hearing-preserving surgery: feasibility assessment in dissections. World neurosurgery, 167, e1376-e1386.
Synchrotron radiation imaging revealing the sub-micron structure of the auditory ossicles
Anschuetz, L., Demattè, M., Pica, A., Wimmer, W., Caversaccio, M., & Bonnin, A. (2019). Synchrotron radiation imaging revealing the sub-micron structure of the auditory ossicles. Hearing research, 383, 107806.