title: An integrated vestibular-cochlear prosthesis for restoring balance and hearing.
abstract: An integrated vestibular-cochlear implant can be rapidly prototyped and clinically tested by modifying an existing modern cochlear implant. The modifications include addition of gyroscope sensors and reallocation of several electrodes that are normally used for auditory nerve stimulation to the semicircular canals, while sharing the external DSP processor and the internal receiver/stimulator. This paper discusses the validation issues related to hardware and software design that arise in integrating electric hearing and balance onto a single device. The device's initially targeted population will be deaf individuals who also have vestibular impairment since there is a strong ethical justification for vestibular implantation along with minimal additional surgical risk. Because of widespread usage of ototoxic drugs and unique genetic mutations, the patient population with both impaired hearing and balance function is especially prevalent in Asian countries such as China and India. Should such an integrated vestibular-cochlear implant be verified, it could be used to restore balance or treat a wide array of vestibular disorders.
authors.affiliation: Dept Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. telu@uci.edu
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Djalilian
authors.forename: Fan-Gang
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Hongbin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiaoan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D056044:Actigraphy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D000465:Algorithms; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006801:Humans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018511:Systems Integration; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*