Neural excitation patterns of four cochlear implant electrode array configurations

Abstract

Although there are a lot of studies of the cochlear implant, there is no study directly compare the current focus performance and the neural excitation patterns of different cochlear implant electrode design. Volume conduction analyses using 3D finite element method and nerve fiber model were used to evaluate the neural excitation patterns of the ball electrodes, banded electrodes, half banded electrodes, and planar electrodes for the first half turn of a human cochlea model for monopolar, common mode, bipolar, and tripolar stimulating modes.