Intracochlear Position of Cochlear Implant Electrodes

Abstract

There are many different types of cochlear implants available on the market today and they are constantly being re-evaluated and changed. Knowledge of the exact position of the electrode within the cochlea is important in order to improve the electrical stimulation of the hearing nerve by the implants. The stimulating electrodes are usually located peripherally within the scala tympani, although several attempts have been made to develop peri-modiolar located electrode arrays. In this study, our goal was to evaluate the intracochlear positions of Nucleus, Combi 40/Combi 40+, and newly developed peri-modiolar positioned electrodes by inserting them into fresh human temporal bones. After insertion, the bones were then histologically processed with the electrodes