An artifact-robust, shape library-based algorithm for automatic segmentation of inner ear anatomy in post-cochlear-implantation CT.

A cochlear implant (CI) is a device that restores hearing using an electrode array that is surgically placed in the cochlea. After implantation, the CI is programmed to attempt to optimize hearing outcome. Currently, we are testing an image-guided CI programming (IGCIP) technique we recently developed that relies on knowledge of relative position of intracochlear anatomy to implanted electrodes. IGCIP is enabled by a number of algorithms we developed that permit determining the positions of electrodes relative to intra-cochlear anatomy using a pre- and a post-implantation CT. One issue with this technique is that it cannot be used for many subjects for whom a pre-implantation CT was not acquired. Pre-implantation CT has been necessary because it is difficult to localize the intra-cochlear structures in post-implantation CTs alone due to the image artifacts that obscure the cochlea. In this work, we present an algorithm for automatically segmenting intra-cochlear anatomy in post-implantation CTs. Our approach is to first identify the labyrinth and then use its position as a landmark to localize the intra-cochlea anatomy. Specifically, we identify the labyrinth by first approximately estimating its position by mapping a labyrinth surface of another subject that is selected from a library of such surfaces and then refining this estimate by a standard shape model-based segmentation method. We tested our approach on 10 ears and achieved overall mean and maximum errors of 0.209 and 0.98 mm, respectively. This result suggests that our approach is accurate enough for developing IGCIP strategies based solely on post-implantation CTs.