Intra- and Post-Operative Electrocochleography (ECochG): The Iowa Experience

Recently CI manufacturers have introduced electrode arrays designed to help preserve cochlear structure and residual acoustic hearing in the implanted ear. For this population of cochlear implant users, it is often possible stimulate the ear acoustically and to record ECochG responses both in the operation room at the time of surgery and post implant using the neural telemetry system. These recordings are the most direct way we have to assess the status of the peripheral auditory system in vivo.

At the University of Iowa, we have access to a relatively large (and growing) population of CI users with residual acoustic hearing in their implanted ear. This population includes individuals with a number of different electrode arrays as well as individuals who use devices marketed by Cochlear Corporation, Advanced Bionics and soon Med El Corporation. In this talk my goal is to compare results collected in the operating room and contrast them with measures obtained post implant, to present data describing the effect that recording electrode has on these responses and summarize preliminary results from ongoing studies where we use post-implant ECochG responses to characterize the integrity of the peripheral auditory structures in individuals with a range of different etiologies, hearing loss configurations and outcomes.
This
work is supported by funding from NIH/NIDCD: DC000242, DC003544, DC002842, and DC012049.