BCIwiki (bciwiki.com) — Vanderbilt University Medical Center has developed a method using post-operative CT scans and image processing to determine the physical relationship between cochlear implant electrodes and the neural interface, allowing customized mapping by deactivating sub-optimally positioned electrodes. The approach, termed "Image-guided Cochlear Implant Programming" (IGCIP), was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on March 22, 2019, under identifier NCT03886168.
Cochlear implants are surgically implanted devices that restore hearing by electrically stimulating the auditory nerve. Programming (mapping) involves turning on each electrode and adjusting stimulus levels to a comfortable and beneficial level. The current standard-of-care mapping does not consider the physical location of electrodes relative to the neural interface. Vanderbilt's method uses post-operative CT and image processing to specify this spatial relationship, enabling deactivation of poorly positioned electrodes.
The trial evaluated whether IGCIP significantly improves outcomes in pediatric cochlear implant patients, with hearing measures collected at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months. According to ClinicalTrials.gov, the study status is completed, but results have not been posted on the registry.