Novel microscope-based visual display and nasopharyngeal registration for auditory brainstem implantation: a feasibility study in an ex vivo model

PURPOSE: An auditory brainstem implant (ABI) represents an alternative for patients with profound hearing loss who are constrained from receiving a cochlear implant. The positioning of the ABI electrode influences the patient’s auditory capacity and, therefore, quality of life and is challenging even with available intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring. This work aims to provide and assess the feasibility of visual-spatial assistance for ABI positioning. METHODS: The pose of the forceps instrument that grasps the electrode was electromagnetically navigated and interactively projected in the eyepieces of a surgical microscope with respect to a target point. Intraoperative navigation was established with an experimental technique for automated nasopharyngeal patient registration. Two ABI procedures were completed in a human specimen head. RESULTS: An intraoperative usability study demonstrated lower localization error when using the proposed visual display versus standard cross-sectional views. The postoperative evaluations of the preclinical study showed that the center of the electrode was misplaced to the planned position by 1.58 mm and 3.16 mm for the left and the right ear procedure, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results indicate the potential to enhance intraoperative feedback during ABI positioning with the presented system. Further improvements consider estimating the pose of the electrode itself to allow for better orientation during placement. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11548-021-02514-x.