Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2025
Electrically Evoked Stapedius Reflex Measurements in Cochlear Implantation and Its Application in the Postoperative Fitting Process
Published on: June 21, 2024
Intraoperative Assessment of Cochlear Nerve Function During Cochlear Implantation Using the Auditory Nerve Test
Karin Hallin1, Nadine Schart-Morén1
1Department of Surgical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Uppsala University, 75185 Uppsala, Sweden.
Background/Objectives:
A crucial factor for a successful cochlear implant (CI) outcome is an intact auditory nerve (AN). The integrity of the AN can be tested during implantation by measuring electrical auditory brainstem responses (eABR) via the CI. A method that does not require a CI is the use of the auditory nerve test stimulator (ANTS) from MED-EL (Innsbruck, Austria). The aim of the current study was to investigate the cases tested with the ANTS at our clinic and to describe the hearing results following CI for the cases who were implanted with a CI.
Methods:
All patients underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) to rule out cochlear malformation or retrocochlear pathology. In this study, we described all cases from when we began using the ANTS in 2011.
Results:
Five patients were tested intraoperatively: three adults with long-term deafness prior to CI and two children with no detectable AN. Three of the five patients were implanted with a CI. All implanted patients in this study could hear with their CIs, even though the speech perception results were limited.
Conclusions:
The ANTS can be used as a method to assess cochlear nerve function during implantation. The eABR results from the ANTS and the implanted CI were comparable for all cases in our study. Minor changes in waveform latencies were found between ANTS and CI stimulation and may be explained by the insertion depth of the electrode used for stimulation.
