Systems and methods for intra-surgical monitoring of cochlear trauma during an electrode lead insertion procedure

Abstract

An illustrative system includes a cochlear implant, a lead configured to be inserted into a cochlea of a patient by way of an insertion procedure, a plurality of electrodes disposed on the lead and including an intracochlear electrode and an extracochlear electrode, a probe coupled to the extracochlear electrode, and a processor communicatively coupled with the probe and the cochlear implant. During the insertion procedure, the processor directs the cochlear implant to short the intracochlear and extracochlear electrodes, then detects, by way of the probe and the shorted intracochlear and extracochlear electrodes, evoked responses measured at the intracochlear electrode. The evoked responses include a first evoked response measured at a first insertion depth and a second evoked response measured at a second insertion depth. The processor generates, based on the first and second evoked responses, a notification indicating that cochlear trauma has likely occurred at the second insertion depth.