Quality Control after Cochlear Implant Surgery by Means of Rotational Tomography

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Abstract
To investigate the intracochlear electrode position in using rotational tomography in adult cochlear implant patients. Retrospective. Tertiary referral center. Eighteen adult patients being implanted either with a Nucleus straight electrode array or a Contour electrode with a total of 22 implanted ears. Preoperative computed tomography had been without evidence for obliteration, ossification, or malformation of the cochlea. Rotational tomography. The intracochlear electrode position was evaluated with regard to scala tympani, scala vestibuli, and a dislocation from one scala to the other. The intraoperative procedure was compared with the electrode position by analyzing the operating reports. Preliminary results indicate, respectively, that there is a higher incidence of intracochlear trauma in using the Contour electrode array than expected with a more frequent dislocation of electrode arrays from scala tympani to scala vestibuli and that there is a higher rate of scala vestibuli insertions. The impact of these findings may influence further developments of electrode arrays as well as surgical techniques for implantation.