Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Bioengineering Group, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0002, South Africa.
Int J Numer Method Biomed Eng. 2016 Jul;32(7). doi: 10.1002/cnm.2751. Epub 2015 Dec 2.
Hearing performance varies greatly among users of cochlear implants. Current three-dimensional cochlear models that predict the electrical fields inside a stimulated cochlea and their effect on neural excitation are generally based on a generic human or guinea pig cochlear shape that does not take inter-user morphological variations into account. This precludes prediction of user-specific performance.
The aim of this study is to develop a model of the implanted cochlea of a specific living human individual and to assess if the inclusion of morphological variations in cochlear models affects predicted outcomes significantly.
Five three-dimensional electric volume conduction models of the implanted cochleae of individual living users were constructed from standard CT scan data. These models were embedded in head models that include monopolar return electrodes in accurate anatomic positions. Potential distributions and neural excitation patterns were predicted for each of the models.
Modeled potential distributions and neural excitation profiles (threshold amplitudes, center frequencies, and bandwidths) are affected by user-specific cochlear morphology and electrode placement within the cochlea.
This work suggests that the use of user-specific models is indicated when more detailed analysis is required than what is available from generic models. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
人工耳蜗使用者的听力表现差异很大。目前预测刺激耳蜗内电场及其对神经兴奋影响的三维耳蜗模型通常基于不考虑用户间形态差异的通用人类或豚鼠耳蜗形状。这排除了对用户特定性能的预测。
本研究旨在开发特定活体人类个体植入耳蜗的模型，并评估耳蜗模型中形态学变异的纳入是否显著影响预测结果。
从标准 CT 扫描数据构建了五个个体活体使用者植入耳蜗的三维电动容积传导模型。这些模型被嵌入到头部模型中，其中包括在准确解剖位置的单极返回电极。对每个模型都预测了电位分布和神经兴奋模式。
模型化的电位分布和神经兴奋分布（阈值幅度、中心频率和带宽）受用户特定耳蜗形态和耳蜗内电极放置的影响。
这项工作表明，当需要比通用模型更详细的分析时，使用用户特定的模型是必要的。版权所有©2015 年 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
