Surgery for an Improved Multiple-Channel Cochlear Implant

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Abstract
An improved multiple-channel cochlear implant has been developed. The titanium container with enclosed electronics, the receiver coil, and the connector are embedded in medical-grade Silastic. The upper half of the implant has a diameter of 35 mm and a height of 4.5 mm, and the lower half a diameter of 23 mm and a height of 5 mm. The electrode array has also been designed to reduce the possibility of breakage due to repeated movements over many years. The surgery involves drilling a bed in the mastoid bone for the receiver-stimulator, and fixing the proximal electrode under the mastoid cortex. Gentle insertion of the electrode array through the round window and along the scala tympani is achieved with a specially designed microclaw.