High-resolution secondary reconstructions with the use of flat panel CT in the clinical assessment of patients with cochlear implants

• Published in: American journal of neuroradiology : AJNR Vol. 35; no. 6; pp. 1202 - 1208
• Main Authors: Pearl, M S, Roy, A, Limb, C J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society of Neuroradiology 01.06.2014
• Subjects: Adult; Algorithms; Cochlea - diagnostic imaging; Cochlea - surgery; Cochlear Implants; Female; Head & Neck; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prosthesis Fitting - methods; Radiographic Image Enhancement - instrumentation; Radiographic Image Enhancement - methods; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - instrumentation; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods; Treatment Outcome; X-Ray Intensifying Screens
• ISSN: 0195-6108; 1936-959X
• DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.A3814

Radiologic assessment of cochlear implants can be limited because of metallic streak artifacts and the high attenuation of the temporal bones. We report on 14 patients with 18 cochlear implants (17 Med-El standard 31.5-mm arrays, 1 Med-El medium 24-mm array) who underwent flat panel CT with the use of high-resolution secondary reconstruction techniques. Flat panel CT depicted the insertion site, cochlear implant course, and all 216 individual electrode contacts. The calculated mean angular insertion depth for standard arrays was 591.9° (SD = 70.9; range, 280°). High-resolution secondary reconstructions of the initial flat panel CT dataset, by use of a manually generated field of view, Hounsfield unit kernel type, and sharp image characteristics, provided high-quality images with improved spatial resolution. Flat panel CT is a promising imaging tool for the postoperative evaluation of cochlear implant placement.