Multi-rigid-body modeling and simulation of perimodiolar cochlear electrode arrays

Modeling and simulation of cochlear perimodiolar electrode based on composite spring-mass model

This paper proposes, a method for the physical modeling of the perimodiolar electrode, particularly for the process of recovering its preset shape with the guide wire drawn out, based on the composite spring-mass model by employing the virtual-volumetric spring inspired from the traditional spring-mass model. Simulation experiments of modeling and virtual insertion of perimodiolar electrode were carried out. The results indicated that the mean and standard deviation of the difference between the local deformation angles of the simulated and measured sets of mass points, (1, 2, 3), (2, 3, 4), …, (13, 14, 15), were 6.34° and 5.98°, respectively. Additionally, the physical model of the perimodiolar electrode can reflect the overall morphological changes of the real perimodiolar electrode.

Optimal path generation in scala tympani and path planning for robotic cochlear implant of perimodiolar electrode

In this study, a new idea of the optimal path generation method was proposed and a path planning strategy for robotic cochlear implant of perimodiolar electrode was designed. The centerline of scala tympani channel was taken as the optimal implant path of the perimodiolar electrode, which aimed to reduce the damage of the electrode to the cochlea during implantation. First, the three-dimensional cochlear model was reconstructed based on the micro-computed tomography images of cochlea, and it was re-segmented to obtain the cross sections of the scala tympani at different angles. Then, the image processing method was used to determine the central point of the scala tympani cross sections. The cubic B-spline interpolation method was used to fit these discrete central points to generate the optimal path. Finally, the coordinate information of the optimal path was combined with the stylet extraction state of perimodiolar electrode to conduct the path planning for robotic cochlear implant, and the result was sent to the robot for kinematic inverse solution to obtain the robot motion trajectory. The robotic cochlear implant experiment was performed with the model of scala tympani. The results showed that the maximum implant force based on path planning was 0.084 N, and the maximum implant force without path planning was 0.134 N. The optimal path generation and the path planning method effectively help to reduce the damage of the electrode to the cochlea.