Introduction:

The characteristics of the electrically evoked compound action potentials have been shown to correlate with the intracochlear site of stimulation. Thus, repeated electrically evoked compound action potential measurements during cochlear implant electrode insertion may enable objective feedback on the electrode"s position inside the cochlea. This information is crucial in patient-individualized approaches such as residual-hearing preservation and anatomy-based fitting.

Method:

We present a method in which impedances as well as electrically evoked compound action potentials may be measured in real-time during cochlear implantation. For successful recordings, a standardized procedure is mandatory. In this contribution, we comprehensively illustrate the system setup and procedure of performing intraoperative measurements during CI surgery.

Results:

Using this measurement protocol, we performed measurements with 20 patients. In the talk we will present the results from these measurements including the reliability of the algorithm.

Conclusion:

We hypothesize that the method may be used as an objective insertion marker and feedback mechanism for monitoring the status of electrode insertion. Thus, the setup is a valuable supplement in patient-individialzed cochlear implantation. The audio signal is considered an additional helpful approach to guide the insertion speed that was chosen to be approximately 10 s per electrode contact in this protocol (corresponding to approximately 4 mm/s).

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