Degree of modiolar coiling, electrical thresholds, and speech perception after cochlear implantation.
OBJECTIVE
Perimodiolar electrode arrays were developed to improve stimulation of specific neural populations and to decrease power consumption. Postoperative radiographs suggest that some arrays are more tightly coiled than others. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the degree of modiolar coil correlates with electrical threshold and/or performance measures postimplantation with the Nucleus CI24RCS (Contour) device.


METHODS
Retrospective review.


METHODS
Cochlear implant center and a tertiary care hospital.


METHODS
Twenty-eight adult cochlear implant recipients with normal cochlear anatomy who underwent implantation with the Nucleus C124RCS perimodiolar electrode and are at least 1 year postimplantation.


METHODS
Therapeutic.


METHODS
Radiologic degree of perimodiolar electrode placement (determined by a computer algorithmic analysis) compared with electrical thresholds and standard speech perception outcome measures at 1 year postcochlear implantation.


RESULTS
No significant correlations were found between the degree of modiolar coiling of the electrode array and electrical thresholds and speech perception outcome measures at 1 year postcochlear implantation.


CONCLUSIONS
The degree of coiling of a modiolar hugging electrode array was not directly correlated with the level of electrical thresholds or postoperative speech perception outcome measures. Appearance of coil tightness on postoperative radiographs could reflect either differences in array placement or intrinsic variations in cochlear anatomy, and variations in speech perception performance can be influenced by other factors, including length of deafness.
Marrinan
Michelle S
MS
Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
Roland
J Thomas
JT
Reitzen
Shari D
SD
Waltzman
Susan B
SB
Cohen
Lawrence T
LT
Cohen
Noel L
NL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods; D003054:Cochlear Implants / Q000145:classification* / Q000592:standards; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013067:Speech Perception; D016896:Treatment Outcome