人工耳蜗纤细电极的初步研究和开发

Preliminary Research and Development of Cochlear Implant thin Electrode Array

对于重度或极重度感音神经性聋的患者需要行人工耳蜗植入手术。由于不同患者的耳蜗结构及其病理变化存在个体差异,因此要求刺激电极具备一定的柔软性和灵活性。基于此需求,研发了一种新型的纤细电极。实验结果表明,此电极的尖端直径能细达0.4毫米,电极柔软而富有弹性,对耳蜗损伤小。在耳蜗模型上试插入电极,插入阻力小,插入的深度合适。该纤细电极设计了三种长度,术者可根据耳蜗的病理情况选择不同长度的电极。纤细电极通过了机械性能和电气性能测试。结论 ：新设计的人工耳蜗纤细电极初步满足了机械和电气性能测试和评估。

Cochlear implants can help people with severe or profound hearing losses to comunicate. Due to the individually different anatomy and pathology of the inner ear, intra-cochlear electrodes should be flexible to accommodate the cochlear anatomy and pathology of individual patients. Therefore, Nurotron developed a new thin electrode array. The experiment results show that the tip of the array can reach as thin as 0.4mm in diameter. The array was soft and elastic to minimize the damage to the cochlea. Insertion of the electrode array into a cochlear model was easy and comfortable with little resistance. The depth of insertion was appropriate. Thin electrode array was designed in three lengths to accommodate surgeons＇ needs for the insertion into the scala tympani with different pathology. The thin electrode arrays passed all the mechanical evaluation and electrical tests. Conclusion： The new design of Nurotron cochlear implant thin electrode array satisfied mechanical evaluation and electrical tests and will be ready for the clinical use in the future.