High precision cochleostomy by use of a pulsed CO2 laser – an experimental approach

✍ Scribed by Thomas Klenzner; Felix B Knapp; Joerg Schipper; Joerg Raczkowsky; Heinz Woern; Lueder A Kahrs; Martin Werner; Peter Hering

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 101 KB
• Volume: 10
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1467-0100
• DOI: 10.1002/cii.394

✦ Synopsis

A precise cochleostomy is a crucial step in cochlear implantation, particularly if residual hearing is to be preserved. A contactless ablation of the promontory bone by a pulsed CO 2 laser system seems to be a promising approach. The bone is removed by a scan head controlled laser beam in sequential scan cycles with a pulse rate of 50-100 ms. Digital picture analysis and pattern detection are used to identify the membranous lining of the cochlea. We achieved a bone ablation in a micrometer range per scan cycle with the laser. A perforation of the promontory bone could be detected by automatic pattern detection. The enhancement of automatic pattern detection can lead to a minimally invasive, function-preserving laser cochleostomy.