Automatic analysis of cochlear response using electrocochleography signals during cochlear implant surgery

PLoS One. 2022 Jul 14;17(7):e0269187. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269187. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Cochlear implants (CIs) provide an opportunity for the hearing impaired to perceive sound through electrical stimulation of the hearing (cochlear) nerve. However, there is a high risk of losing a patient's natural hearing during CI surgery, which has been shown to reduce speech perception in noisy environments as well as music appreciation. This is a major barrier to the adoption of CIs by the hearing impaired. Electrocochleography (ECochG) has been used to detect intra-operative trauma that may lead to loss of natural hearing. There is early evidence that ECochG can enable early intervention to save natural hearing of the patient. However, detection of trauma by observing changes in the ECochG response is typically carried out by a human expert. Here, we discuss a method of automating the analysis of cochlear responses during CI surgery. We establish, using historical patient data, that the proposed method is highly accurate (∼94% and ∼95% for sensitivity and specificity respectively) when compared to a human expert. The automation of real-time cochlear response analysis is expected to improve the scalability of ECochG and improve patient safety.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Audiometry, Evoked Response / methods
  • Cochlea / surgery
  • Cochlear Implantation* / methods
  • Cochlear Implants*
  • Hearing
  • Hearing Loss* / diagnosis
  • Hearing Loss* / surgery
  • Humans

Associated data

  • Dryad/10.5061/dryad.931zcrjmz

Grants and funding

SW, CB, and SOL received a development grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council in collaboration with Cochlear to conduct this research. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.