Aim: Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) has been used in a variety of maxillodental applications and recently, it has proved to be effective in the otorhinolaryngology field. In this study, we used CBCT for assessment of scalar location, insertion length and distance between the cochlear implant electrode array and modiolus and correlate these factors to speech performance.
Patients and Methods: This study was carried out on 30 children with bilateral severe to profound prelingual sensorineural hearing loss that had undergone cochlear implantation. Radiological assessment of electrode arrays position using CBCT was performed and correlated with speech recognition score.
Results: CBCT revealed that the electrode array was inserted in the scala tympani in 26/30 children (86.66%) and showed better speech recognization score than scala vestibule insertion. The mean distance between the modiolus and electrode arrays was 0.53 ± 0.11 mm and the average length of insertion was 21.49 ± 3.65mm. Distance between the electrode array and modiolus was negatively correlated to audiological performance in all patients. Pearson test showed a statistically significant positive correlation between insertion length and speech recognition score.
Conclusion: CBCT is very effective in localizing cochlear implant electrode arrays. Depth of insertion and closer distance to modiolus are associated with statistically better speech outcomes.