An automated insertion tool for cochlear implants with integrated force sensing capability
- 20 August 2013
- journal article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery
- Vol. 9 (3), 481-494
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-013-0936-1
Abstract
Minimally invasive cochlear implantation and residual hearing preservation require both the surgical approach to the cochlea as well as the implant insertion to be performed in an atraumatic fashion. Considering the geometric limitations of this approach, specialized instrumentation is required to insert the electrode while preserving intracochlear membranes carrying the sensory hair cells. An automated insertion tool for cochlear implants, which is capable of sensing insertion forces with a theoretical resolution of 30 μN, is presented. In contrast to previous designs, the custom force sensor is integrated in the insertion mechanism. Moreover, a test bench for insertion studies under constant and reproducible boundary conditions is proposed. It is used to experimentally validate the force sensing insertion tool, which is achieved by comparing the acquired forces to a ground truth measurement. The results of insertion studies on both an acrylic cochlear phantom and temporal bone specimen are given and discussed. Results reveal that friction, occurring between the electrode carrier and the inside of the insertion tool guide tube, is likely to affect the force output of the proposed sensor. An appropriate method to compensate for these disturbances is presented and experimentally validated. Using the proposed approach to friction identification, a mean accuracy of (4.0±3.2) mN is observed. The force information provided by the proposed, automated insertion tool can be used to detect complications during electrode insertion. However, in order to obtain accurate results, an identification of frictional forces prior to insertion is mandatory. The insertion tool is capable of automatically executing the appropriate trajectories.Keywords
This publication has 40 references indexed in Scilit:
- Investigation of magnetic guidance of cochlear implantsPublished by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2011
- Percutaneous inner-ear access via an image-guided industrial robot systemProceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 2010
- Percutaneous cochlear implant drilling via customized frames: An in vitro studyOtolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, 2010
- Soft Cochlear Implantation: Rationale for the Surgical ApproachTrends in Amplification, 2009
- Navigated, robot assisted drilling of a minimally invasive cochlear accessPublished by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2009
- An autonomous surgical robot for drilling a cochleostomy: preliminary porcine trialClinical Otolaryngology, 2008
- Residual Hearing Conservation and Electroacoustic Stimulation with the Nucleus 24 Contour Advance Cochlear ImplantOtology & Neurotology, 2006
- Surgical Technique For The Nucleus?? Contour??? Cochlear ImplantEar & Hearing, 2002
- The Importance of Human Cochlear Anatomy for the Results of Modiolus-Hugging Multichannel Cochlear ImplantsOtology & Neurotology, 2001
- Predicting error in rigid-body point-based registrationIEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 1998