Electrical stimulation overlap visualization for image-guided cochlear implant programming

Cochlear implants consist of an implanted array of electrodes and passive electronics and an external processor designed to directly stimulate auditory nerve fibers to induce the sensation of hearing in those who have experienced hearing loss caused by problems in the inner ear. After surgical implantation, audiologists program the processor with settings intended to produce optimal hearing outcomes. The likelihood of optimal outcomes increases when audiologists are provided with tools that assist them in making objective decisions based on the patient's own anatomy and surgical placement of the array. A visualization tool currently in use, called distance-versus-frequency (DVF)curves, can be used to estimate channel interactions between electrodes. Although the information presented is objective, an audiologist's decisions are subject to their own estimations applied to this visualization. In this paper, we present a new visualization technique designed to remove the subjectivity of visually assessing channel interactions between electrodes. Preliminary results show plans generated using this method are more consistent and are rated as optimal more often than those generated using DVF curves.