Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Department of Otolaryngology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Int J Med Robot. 2024 Feb;20(1):e2609. doi: 10.1002/rcs.2609.
Cochlear-implant electrode arrays (EAs) are currently inserted with limited feedback, and impedance sensing has recently shown promise for EA localisation.
We investigate the use of impedance sensing to infer the progression of an EA during insertion.
We show that the access resistance component of bipolar impedance sensing can detect when a straight EA reaches key anatomical locations in a plastic cochlea and when each electrode contact enters/exits the cochlea. We also demonstrate that dual-sided electrode contacts can provide useful proximity information and show the real-time relationship between impedance and wall proximity in a cadaveric cochlea for the first time.
The access resistance component of bipolar impedance sensing has high potential for estimating positioning information of EAs relative to anatomy during insertion. Main limitations of this work include using saline as a surrogate for human perilymph in ex vivo models and using only one type of EA.
目前，人工耳蜗植入电极阵列（EAs）的插入是在有限的反馈下进行的，而阻抗感测最近已显示出对 EA 定位的应用前景。
我们研究了使用阻抗感测来推断 EA 在插入过程中的进展。
我们表明，双极阻抗感测的接入电阻分量可以检测到直形 EA 何时到达塑料耳蜗中的关键解剖位置，以及每个电极接触何时进入/离开耳蜗。我们还证明，双侧电极接触可以提供有用的接近信息，并首次显示了在尸体耳蜗中阻抗和壁接近之间的实时关系。
双极阻抗感测的接入电阻分量在插入过程中具有很高的潜力，可以估计 EA 相对于解剖结构的定位信息。这项工作的主要局限性包括在离体模型中使用盐水作为人外淋巴的替代品，以及仅使用一种类型的 EA。
