Cochlear implants
AssigneeThe University of Queensland
InventorsAndrew Peter Bradley, Matthew Alexander Petoe, Wayne James Wilson
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method of generating a place-frequency map for accurate positioning of a cochlear implant whereby the place-frequency map is used to relate a physical position of the cochlear implant to a tonotopic map of the basilar membrane/spiral ganglion. The invention also relates to a method of electrically positioning of an already inserted cochlear implant within the cochlea to provide stimuli to only the parts of the cochlea that have reduced or no residual hearing.
Claims30
A method of accurately correlating electrodes of a cochlear implant with a patient's cochlea within which the cochlear implant is to be implanted, the method including the steps of:
- measuring a tonotopic response for residual hearing of the cochlea of a patient to obtain a place-frequency map describing a place-frequency structure of the cochlea of a patient;
- and
- optimally aligning the electrodes of the cochlear implant with the place-frequency structure of the cochlea of a patient.
A method of accurately correlating electrodes of a cochlear implant with a patient's cochlea within which the cochlear implant is to be implanted, the method including the steps of:
- measuring a tonotopic response for residual hearing of the cochlea of a patient to obtain a place-frequency map describing a place-frequency structure of the cochlea of a patient;
- optimally aligning the electrodes of the cochlear implant with the place-frequency structure of the cochlea of a patient, wherein optimally aligning the electrodes of the cochlear implant with the place-frequency structure of the cochlea of a patient includes measuring an electro-acoustic response of the cochlea of a patient and the cochlear implant and providing electric stimuli to only the parts of the cochlea of a patient that have reduced or no residual hearing;
- evoking an electro-acoustic response by:
- designing a custom rising frequency chirp corresponding to a maximum Auditory Brainstem Response of the patient;
- and
- applying an electrical stimulus to the electrode of the cochlear implant and later applying the custom rising frequency chirp;
- reducing an upper frequency of the custom rising frequency chirp until a reduction in Auditory Brainstem Response amplitude is observed to determine the Upper Frequency of Residual Hearing;
- and
- adjusting a frequency rise time of the custom rising frequency chirp to further maximise an Auditory Brainstem Response amplitude of the patient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.