title: Three-dimensional analysis of electrode behavior in a human cochlear model.
abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis is used in this study to model the mechanical effects of the electrode in a cochlear implant. We employ six electrodes with different stiffness produced by different arrangements of metal wires. Different wire arrangements are generated by changing the fitness function of a genetic program. The human cochlea is modeled by the spiral-approximation method. Reconstructed three-dimensional CT images are used to model the real insertion condition. The contact pressure at the tip and the insertion force are found to be highest when the wires are stacked horizontally. Axial rotation of the electrode has minimal effect on the stimulating current spread. The electrode does not contact the basilar membrane. The results indicate that considering the electrode stiffness is important to minimizing mechanical trauma in cochlear implantation.
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical Engineering, Nano Bioelectronics, Systems Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744, Korea. himelys@hanmail.net
authors.forename: Yoon Seob
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Se-Ik
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Yong Hyup
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seung Ha
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Sung June
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D003051:Cochlea / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004566:Electrodes; D004867:Equipment Design; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed