Automatic techniques for cochlear implant CT image analysis

TL;DR

This paper presents fully automated image processing techniques for analyzing cochlear implant CT scans, enabling an end-to-end process from images to customized electrode configurations, improving post-operative assessment and planning.

Contribution

The paper introduces novel automatic methods for localizing cochlear implant electrodes and selecting configurations, advancing towards a fully automated post-operative analysis pipeline.

Findings

Automatic localization of electrode arrays achieved.

Automatic selection of electrode configurations demonstrated.

End-to-end automated IGCIP process enabled.

Abstract

The goals of this dissertation are to fully automate the image processing techniques needed in the post-operative stage of IGCIP and to perform a thorough analysis of (a) the robustness of the automatic image processing techniques used in IGCIP and (b) assess the sensitivity of the IGCIP process as a whole to individual components. The automatic methods that have been developed include the automatic localization of both closely- and distantly-spaced CI electrode arrays in post-implantation CTs and the automatic selection of electrode configurations based on the stimulation patterns. Together with the existing automatic techniques developed for IGCIP, the proposed automatic methods enable an end-to-end IGCIP process that takes pre- and post-implantation CT images as input and produces a patient-customized electrode configuration as output.