title: A new instrument for minimal access surgery in cochlear implantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of usefulness and benefits of a new hand-held retractor for minimal invasive technique in cochlear implantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  : Fourteen consecutive patients (age: 1-83; 4 = female and 10 = male) received a cochlear implant in minimal invasive technique using the new hand-held retractor.
  
  
  METHODS
  Standardized operation procedure in minimal invasive technique for cochlear implantation. A short retroauricular incision is used to perform the mastoidectomy with posterior tympanotomy and cochleostomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The hand-held retractor allows drilling of the bony well for the receiver-stimulator package under direct vision from an anterior position of the surgeon. The sub-periosteal pocket is performed while maintaining continuous suction of irrigating fluids with no further assistance needed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With the new retractor, up to 70% of time to create the bony well is saved compared to previously used instrumentation. The retractor might be further useful in different fields of surgery where the operating field needs to be visualized with the integrated suction and light-device under protection of the surrounding tissue.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Philipps University of Marburg, Germany. dalchow@med.uni-marburg.de
authors: Carsten V
authors: CV
authors: Dalchow
authors: Jochen A
authors: JA
authors: Werner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013997:Time Factors