Impact of electrode lead positioning on intracochlear electrode array location: it´s not over after the insertion.”

Introduction 

The Slim Modiolar Nucleus 632 cochlear implant (Cochlear Ltd., Sydney, Australia) is a special type of electrode array (EA) that combines certain characteristics of slim straight and perimodiolar EAs. By resting the electrode against the modiolus, the residual hearing should be preserved while the speech comprehension should be improved Due to the lower distance between the EA and spiral ganglia cells, a lower impedance level is achieved and the associated battery consumption is reduced.

Herein we describe whether manipulating the electrode lead once the EA insertion is completed leads to an intracochlear displacement of the EA.

Material and Methods 

A 51-year-old patient with profound sensorineural hearing loss on the left side underwent CI surgery. Intraoperatively, fluoroscopy images were obtained following insertion of the Nucleus 632 EA before and after placement the electrode lead in the mastoid cavity.

Results 

Intraoperative X-Ray images demonstrate on this case that lateralization of the electrode array in the basal region within the cochlea occurs when placing the EA lead in the mastoid cavity toward the mastoid tip.

Discussion 

Our result shows that the subsequent manipulation of the electrode lead seems to have a significant influence on the final intracochlear position of the Nucleus 632 EA. Further evaluation of this variable in more cases in ongoing to better understand this effect and further optimize both the surgical training and the EA intracochlear position.

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
24. Mai 2022