The Perimodiolar advantage with the Cochlear CI532 Slim Modiolar Electrode

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By guest author: Wade Colburn

Wade Colburn

The Cochlear™ Nucleus® CI532 Slim Modiolar electrode is the latest offering within the Cochlear™ Nucleus® implant portfolio.  The CI532 Slim Modiolar electrode is a thin atraumatic electrode that can be successfully placed within scala tympani in a perimodiolar position to maximize performance outcomes.  In fact, in a large independent multicenter study, 100% of the Slim Modiolar electrodes were successfully placed in the scala tympani.1  Another institution that assessed electrode placement with the Slim Modiolar also found results that show highly consistent scala tympani location.2

Research describes the rationale on why perimodiolar placement within the scala tympani provides advantages over other electrode placements:

Increased Number of Electrode Contacts in Scala Tympani:

Berg et al3 looked at the performance of cochlear implant recipients in relation to the number of electrodes in the cochlea and found that the greater the number of electrodes in scala tympani, the better the performance. When testing in words in quite (CNC), and sentences in quiet and +5dB noise (AzBio), they found that 22 electrode contacts were significantly better than recipients with only 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 electrodes.

Proximity to the Modiolus:

Perimodiolar position

The CI532 electrode was designed to reduce the distance to the modiolus, which has shown to improve performance5,6 and allow for more focused stimulation7,8. In a study conducted at Washington University by Holden et al4, they showed a correlation between the position of the electrode with respect to the modiolus (often referred to as the “Wrapping Factor”) and CNC word score. The group showed that those electrodes with perimodiolar placement had a lower wrapping factor and improved performance.

The CI532 electrode delivers on the three principles of the Cochlear™ Nucleus® electrode portfolio: preservation, performance and preference. The Slim Modiolar Electrode is designed with 22 electrode contacts, reduces the likelihood of translocation from the scala tympani, reduces the proximity to the modiolus, and minimizes insertion forces through a consistent sheath-based insertion.  These advantages translate into improved speech performance 1,2,4, structural preservation 9, more focused stimulation 7,8 and lower electrical stimulation thresholds 10,11.

Visit our website to learn more about the benefits of the CI532 Electrode or by reaching out to your local Cochlear representative.

Download the CI532 X-Ray Brochure.

CI532 X-ray brochure

About our guest author:

Wade is the Product Manager for Cochlear Implant product portfolio within Cochlear Americas.  Wade’s responsibilities include product positioning and messaging, life-cycle management, new product launches and surgical support and training. Wade has recently joined Cochlear, but comes from an engineering background with the medical device field, including previous otology experience.

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References:
  1. Aschendorff et al. Clinical investigation of the Nucleus Slim Modiolar Electrode. Audiology & Neurotology. 2017; 22:169-179.
  2. McJunkin, J. L, et al. Early Outcomes With a Slim, Modiolar Cochlear Implant Electrode Array. Otology & Neurotology. 2018; 39(1):e28-e33.
  3. Berg et al. Number of electrode needed for optimal speech and auditory perception. Poster Presentation at American Auditory Society (AAS). 2017.
  4. Holden LK, Finley CC, Firszt JB, Holden TA, Brenner C, Potts LG, et al. Factors affecting open-set word recognition in adults with cochlear implants. Ear Hear. 2013; 34(3):342-60
  5. Lazard D. S, et al. Pre-, per- and postoperative factors affecting performance of postlinguistically deaf adults using cochlear implants: a new conceptual model over time. PloS one. 2012; 7:e48739
  6. Blamey P, et al. Factors affecting auditory performance of postlinguistically deaf adults using cochlear implants: An update with 2251 patients. Audiology & neuro-otology. 2013; 18:36-47.
  7. Hughes, ML, Abbas, PJ. Electrophysiological channel interaction, electrode pitch ranking, and behavioral threshold in straight versus perimodiolar cochlear implant electrode arrays. J Acoustic Soc Am. 2006; 119(3):1538-47.
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