Objective. To observe the intracochlear behavior of a cochlear implant electrode insertion technique (called ââ?¬Å?pullbackââ?¬Â) in temporal\r\nbones. Study Design. Experimental. Settings. Tertiary referral center. Method. The change of the intracochlear electrode position\r\nwas investigated under various conditions of an electrode pullback (N = 54) in 9 radiologically, size-estimated temporal bones\r\n(TBs). Those TBs were prepared by removal of the cochlear scalar roof to apply digital video capture procedures to monitor the\r\npullback procedures. The digitally captured pictures were analyzed with specific software. Results. An optimal pullback of the\r\nelectrode varied between 1.37mm and 2.67 mm. While a limited pullback is without risk, an extended pullback bears the risk of\r\nremoving the electrode tip out of its initial position or out of the cochlea. A correlation between cochlear size and the amount of\r\npullback was not found. Conclusion. An initial insertion to the first or the second marker on the electrode followed by a limited\r\npullback of about 1.37mm to 1.5mm can be recommended to achieve an optimized perimodiolar position. A pullback of up to\r\ntwo marker positions bears the risk of removing the electrode tip out of its initial position.
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