Validation of Automatic Cochlear Measurements Using OTOPLAN^® Software

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Medical Imaging Analysis
• Surgical Planning

Background:

• Cochlear implantation relies on accurate pre-operative electrode length selection based on cochlear parameters.
• Manual measurement of these parameters is time-consuming and prone to inconsistencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel, automated method for measuring cochlear parameters.
• To compare the accuracy and efficiency of the automated method against manual measurements.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 109 pre-operative HRCT images using OTOPLAN® software.
• Comparison of manual measurements by two surgeons (R1, R2) versus automated (AUTO) measurements.
• Assessment of inter-rater reliability and execution time for A-Value, B-Value, H-Value, and Cochlear Duct Length (CDLOC-length).

Main Results:

• Automated measurement time reduced from ~7 min to 1 min.
• High agreement between AUTO and manual measurements for all parameters (e.g., CDLOC-length: p > 0.242).
• Excellent intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for CDLOC-length (0.90 for R1 vs. AUTO, 0.90 for R2 vs. AUTO).

Conclusions:

• The automated method offers excellent inter-rater reliability and high agreement with manual measurements.
• Significant reduction in execution time for cochlear parameter measurement.
• The automated approach is a reliable and efficient tool for pre-operative planning in cochlear implantation.