title: Advances to electrode pullback in cochlear implant surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the intracochlear behavior of a cochlear implant electrode insertion technique (called "pullback") in temporal bones. Study Design. Experimental. Settings. Tertiary referral center.
  
  
  METHODS
  The change of the intracochlear electrode position was investigated under various conditions of an electrode pullback (N = 54) in 9 radiologically, size-estimated temporal bones (TBs). Those TBs were prepared by removal of the cochlear scalar roof to apply digital video capture procedures to monitor the pullback procedures. The digitally captured pictures were analyzed with specific software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An optimal pullback of the electrode varied between 1.37 mm and 2.67 mm. While a limited pullback is without risk, an extended pullback bears the risk of removing the electrode tip out of its initial position or out of the cochlea. A correlation between cochlear size and the amount of pullback was not found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An initial insertion to the first or the second marker on the electrode followed by a limited pullback of about 1.37 mm to 1.5 mm can be recommended to achieve an optimized perimodiolar position. A pullback of up to two marker positions bears the risk of removing the electrode tip out of its initial position.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin, 12683 Berlin, Germany. todt@gmx.net
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Todt
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Basta
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seidl
authors.forename: Arne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ernst
mesh_terms: D003051:Cochlea / Q000601:surgery*; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D004566:Electrodes; D006801:Humans; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000601:surgery