High precision cochleostomy by use of a pulsed CO₂ laser – an experimental approach

Abstract

A precise cochleostomy is a crucial step in cochlear implantation, particularly if residual hearing is to be preserved. A contactless ablation of the promontory bone by a pulsed CO₂ laser system seems to be a promising approach. The bone is removed by a scan head controlled laser beam in sequential scan cycles with a pulse rate of 50–100 μs. Digital picture analysis and pattern detection are used to identify the membranous lining of the cochlea. We achieved a bone ablation in a micrometer range per scan cycle with the laser. A perforation of the promontory bone could be detected by automatic pattern detection. The enhancement of automatic pattern detection can lead to a minimally invasive, function-preserving laser cochleostomy. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords:

• bone
• precision
• cochleostomy
• digital image processing
• laser