Influence of the Cochlear Implant Electrode Array Placement on the Current Spread in the Cochlea

Three-dimensional (3D) computational models of the inner ear have been utilised to assist in investigating the factors that influence cochlear implant (CI) outcomes. A volume conductor cochlear model with an implanted electrode array was reconstructed from X-ray microtomography $(\mu$ CT) scans of a cadaveric human temporal bone. To mimic an in-vivo setting, the cochlea was embedded in a head model. The finite element (FE) method was used to analyse the electrical potential $\varphi$ in the cochlear nerve as a result of CI stimulation. In order to study the influence of electrode array placement on the current spread within the cochlea and the modiolus, computer simulations with six electrode array placements were conducted. $\varphi$ was evaluated at the tip of nerve fibres reconstructed within the cochlear nerve so as to predict the stimulation of a neuron population. It was found in most cases that a medial electrode array placement produced a narrower $\varphi$ peak at the fibre tip than a lateral one, although the differences were small.