In vitro accuracy evaluation of image-guided robot system for direct cochlear access

Bell, Brett; Gerber, Nicolas; Williamson, Tom; Gavaghan, Kate; Wimmer, Wilhelm; Caversaccio, Marco; Weber, Stefan (2013). In vitro accuracy evaluation of image-guided robot system for direct cochlear access. Otology & neurotology, 34(7), pp. 1284-1290. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 10.1097/MAO.0b013e31829561b6

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HYPOTHESIS

A previously developed image-guided robot system can safely drill a tunnel from the lateral mastoid surface, through the facial recess, to the middle ear, as a viable alternative to conventional mastoidectomy for cochlear electrode insertion.

BACKGROUND

Direct cochlear access (DCA) provides a minimally invasive tunnel from the lateral surface of the mastoid through the facial recess to the middle ear for cochlear electrode insertion. A safe and effective tunnel drilled through the narrow facial recess requires a highly accurate image-guided surgical system. Previous attempts have relied on patient-specific templates and robotic systems to guide drilling tools. In this study, we report on improvements made to an image-guided surgical robot system developed specifically for this purpose and the resulting accuracy achieved in vitro.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The proposed image-guided robotic DCA procedure was carried out bilaterally on 4 whole head cadaver specimens. Specimens were implanted with titanium fiducial markers and imaged with cone-beam CT. A preoperative plan was created using a custom software package wherein relevant anatomical structures of the facial recess were segmented, and a drill trajectory targeting the round window was defined. Patient-to-image registration was performed with the custom robot system to reference the preoperative plan, and the DCA tunnel was drilled in 3 stages with progressively longer drill bits. The position of the drilled tunnel was defined as a line fitted to a point cloud of the segmented tunnel using principle component analysis (PCA function in MatLab). The accuracy of the DCA was then assessed by coregistering preoperative and postoperative image data and measuring the deviation of the drilled tunnel from the plan. The final step of electrode insertion was also performed through the DCA tunnel after manual removal of the promontory through the external auditory canal.

RESULTS

Drilling error was defined as the lateral deviation of the tool in the plane perpendicular to the drill axis (excluding depth error). Errors of 0.08 ± 0.05 mm and 0.15 ± 0.08 mm were measured on the lateral mastoid surface and at the target on the round window, respectively (n =8). Full electrode insertion was possible for 7 cases. In 1 case, the electrode was partially inserted with 1 contact pair external to the cochlea.

CONCLUSION

The purpose-built robot system was able to perform a safe and reliable DCA for cochlear implantation. The workflow implemented in this study mimics the envisioned clinical procedure showing the feasibility of future clinical implementation.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	10 Strategic Research Centers > ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research > ARTORG Center - Hearing Research Laboratory 10 Strategic Research Centers > ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research > ARTORG Center - Image Guided Therapy 04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Head Organs and Neurology (DKNS) > Clinic of Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders (ENT)
UniBE Contributor:	Bell, Brett, Gerber, Nicolas, Williamson, Tom, Gerber, Kate, Wimmer, Wilhelm, Caversaccio, Marco, Weber, Stefan (B)
Subjects:	600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health
ISSN:	1531-7129
Publisher:	Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Language:	English
Submitter:	Martin Kompis
Date Deposited:	07 Mar 2014 09:07
Last Modified:	29 Mar 2023 23:33
Publisher DOI:	10.1097/MAO.0b013e31829561b6
PubMed ID:	23921934
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Cochlea implant, Facial recess, Image guided, Minimally invasive, Robot
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/43561