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Updated: Oct 10, 2025
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Author Spotlight: Optimizing EAS with Long Electrodes for Enhanced Cochlear Coverage and Hearing Preservation
Published on: October 11, 2024
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Evaluating cochlear insertion trauma and hearing preservation after cochlear implantation (CIPRES): a study protocol
Saad Jwair1,2, Ralf A Boerboom3,4, Huib Versnel3,4
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 85500, 3508, GA, Utrecht, the Netherlands. s.jwair@umcutrecht.nl.
Trials
|December 10, 2021
Summary
Minimizing cochlear implant insertion trauma is key for preserving hearing in sensorineural hearing loss patients. This study compares four surgical approaches and electrode designs to determine the best method for hearing preservation.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Neurosurgery
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Preserving residual hearing in patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) undergoing cochlear implantation (CI) requires minimizing surgical trauma to the cochlea.
- Current surgical approaches include mastoidectomy-posterior tympanotomy followed by cochleostomy (CO) or round window (RW) approach, each with distinct advantages and disadvantages.
- Electrode array design, either lateral wall (LW) or perimodiolar (PM), also influences outcomes, but the optimal combination of surgical approach and electrode design remains uncertain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare hearing preservation outcomes among four different cochlear implant treatment options.
- To assess the impact of surgical approach (CO vs. RW) and electrode array design (LW vs. PM) on insertion trauma and subsequent hearing preservation.
- To evaluate structural preservation within the cochlea and compare objective hearing outcomes using electrocochleography (ECochG).
Main Methods:
- A monocenter, multi-arm, randomized controlled trial involving 48 patients.
- Patients were randomized into four groups, each receiving a unique combination of electrode array type (LW or PM) and surgical approach (RW or CO).
- Primary outcome: postoperative hearing preservation. Secondary outcomes: structural preservation (scalar translocation, basilar membrane disruption, tip fold-over) and ECochG measures.
Main Results:
- This section is not available in the provided abstract.
- Further analysis is required to determine the specific outcomes of the comparisons between the four groups.
- The study aims to identify significant differences in hearing preservation based on the surgical technique and implant design.
Conclusions:
- Cochlear implantation is a standard, low-risk procedure for severe to profound bilateral SNHL, significantly benefiting patients.
- However, the loss of residual hearing post-implantation remains a significant clinical challenge.
- This randomized controlled trial is the first to investigate the effects of different cochlear implant insertion techniques and electrode designs on hearing preservation.
