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Automatic Model Generation Framework for Computational Simulation of Cochlear Implantation

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Abstract

Recent developments in computational modeling of cochlear implantation are promising to study in silico the performance of the implant before surgery. However, creating a complete computational model of the patient’s anatomy while including an external device geometry remains challenging. To address such a challenge, we propose an automatic framework for the generation of patient-specific meshes for finite element modeling of the implanted cochlea. First, a statistical shape model is constructed from high-resolution anatomical μCT images. Then, by fitting the statistical model to a patient’s CT image, an accurate model of the patient-specific cochlea anatomy is obtained. An algorithm based on the parallel transport frame is employed to perform the virtual insertion of the cochlear implant. Our automatic framework also incorporates the surrounding bone and nerve fibers and assigns constitutive parameters to all components of the finite element model. This model can then be used to study in silico the effects of the electrical stimulation of the cochlear implant. Results are shown on a total of 25 models of patients. In all cases, a final mesh suitable for finite element simulations was obtained, in an average time of 94 s. The framework has proven to be fast and robust, and is promising for a detailed prognosis of the cochlear implantation surgery.

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Acknowledgments

This research was partially funded by the European Union Seventh Frame Programme (FP7/2007-2013), Grant agreement 304857, HEAR-EU project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Simbiosys Research Group, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

    Nerea Mangado, Mario Ceresa, Hector Dejea Velardo, Jérôme Noailly, Gemma Piella & Miguel Ángel González Ballester

  2. Asclepios Research Project, INRIA Sophia Antipolis, Valbonne, France

    Nicolas Duchateau

  3. Denmark Technical University, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Hans Martin Kjer, Rasmus R. Paulsen & Jens Fagertun

  4. Alma Medical Imaging, Barcelona, Spain

    Sergio Vera

  5. Med-EL, Innsbruck, Austria

    Pavel Mistrik

  6. ICREA, Barcelona, Spain

    Miguel Ángel González Ballester

Authors
  1. Nerea Mangado
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  2. Mario Ceresa
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  3. Nicolas Duchateau
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  4. Hans Martin Kjer
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  8. Rasmus R. Paulsen
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  12. Miguel Ángel González Ballester
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Correspondence to Nerea Mangado.

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Associate Editor Xiaoxiang Zheng oversaw the review of this article.

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Mangado, N., Ceresa, M., Duchateau, N. et al. Automatic Model Generation Framework for Computational Simulation of Cochlear Implantation. Ann Biomed Eng 44, 2453–2463 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-015-1541-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-015-1541-y

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