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Updated: Jun 24, 2025
Enhancing Electrode Location Assessment in Cochlear Implantation via Computed Tomography Image Fusion
Published on: January 17, 2025
Comprehensive literature review on the application of the otological surgical planning software OTOPLAN® for cochlear
Franz-Tassilo Müller-Graff1, Björn Spahn2, David P Herrmann2
1Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Head and Neck Surgery and the Comprehensive Hearing Center, University of Wuerzburg, Josef-Schneider-Straße 11, 97080, Wuerzburg, Germany. Mueller_F7@ukw.de.
Background:
The size of the human cochlear, measured by the diameter of the basal turn, varies between 7 and 11 mm. For hearing rehabilitation with cochlear implants (CI), the size of the cochlear influences the individual frequency map and the choice of electrode length. OTOPLAN® (CAScination AG [Bern, Switzerland] in cooperation with MED-EL [Innsbruck, Austria]) is a software tool with CE marking for clinical applications in CI treatment which allows for precise pre-planning based on cochlear size. This literature review aims to analyze all published data on the application of OTOPLAN®.
Materials And Methods:
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were applied to identify relevant studies published in the PubMed search engine between January 2015 and February 2023 using the search terms "otoplan" [title/abstract] OR "anatomy-based fitting" [title/abstract] OR "otological software tool" [title/abstract] OR "computed tomography-based software AND cochlear" [title/abstract].
Results:
The systematic review of the literature identified 32 studies on clinical use of OTOPLAN® in CI treatment. Most studies were reported from Germany (7 out of 32), followed by Italy (5), Saudi Arabia (4), the USA (4), and Belgium (3); 2 studies each were from Austria and China, and 1 study from France, India, Norway, South Korea, and Switzerland. In the majority of studies (22), OTOPLAN® was used to assess cochlear size, followed by visualizing the electrode position using postoperative images (5), three-dimensional segmentation of temporal bone structures (4), planning the electrode insertion trajectory (3), creating a patient-specific frequency map (3), planning of a safe drilling path through the facial recess (3), and measuring of temporal bone structures (1).
Conclusion:
To date, OTOPLAN® is the only DICOM viewer with CE marking in the CI field that can process pre-, intra-, and postoperative images in the abovementioned applications.
