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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Enhancing Electrode Location Assessment in Cochlear Implantation via Computed Tomography Image Fusion
Published on: January 17, 2025
3-D CT and MRI co-registration in the assessment of cochlear implantation
Emanuele Neri1, Stefano Berrettini, Luca Salvatori
1Division of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology of the Department of Oncology, Transplants, and Advanced Technologies in Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. neri@med.unipi.it
Background:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of co-registering preoperative MRI and postoperative CT and to assess the position of the electrode within the cochlea.
Material/Methods:
In a series of 14 patients, high-resolution MRI datasets of the cochlea obtained before implantation and multirow CT datasets obtained after implantation were co-registered using a stereoscopic display and volume-rendering platform (Dextroscope, Volume Interactions/Bracco, Singapore). Image co-registration was performed with a semi-automatic method (multipoint plus freehand fusion).
Results:
In 2 patients the electrode was correctly inserted in the middle turn of the cochlea and the assigned rank was 4 (corresponding to the initial tract of the middle turn). In 8 patients the rank was 3, meaning that the electrode tip reached the upper portion of the basal turn. In 4 patients the rank was 2, meaning that the electrode tip reached the middle portion of the basal turn; in two of these patients, electrode kinking was observed.
Conclusions:
Co-registration of preoperative MRI and postoperative CT is feasible and represents a unique method to assess electrode position within the membranous labyrinth.
