Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Evaluating And Improving Cochlear Length Measurements On Clinical Computed Tomography Images, John E. Iyaniwura

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cochlear implants provide the sensation of sound to deaf individuals. An accurate estimate of cochlear duct length (CDL) is required for pre-operative implant electrode selection and can be obtained from clinical computed tomography (CT) by measuring the “A-value”.

The objectives of this work were to estimate the accuracy and variability in manual A-value measurements, and to automate measurements.

Four specialists repeatedly measured the A-value on clinical CT images from which the inter- and intra-observer variability were calculated. Accuracy was assessed by comparison to measurements on higher resolution micro-CT images. Motivated by this study, software was developed to automate the A-value …

Modeling Hrtf For Sound Localization In Normal Listeners And Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users, Douglas A. Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mathematical models can be very useful for understanding complicated systems and for testing algorithms through simulation that would be difficult or expensive to implement. This dissertation presents a model that attempts to simulate the sound localization performance of persons using bilateral cochlear implants. The expectation is that this model could prove to be a useful tool in developing new signal processing algorithms for neural encoding strategies.

The head related transfer function (HRTF) is a critical component of this model, and in the ideal case, provides the base characteristics of head shadow, torso and pinna effects. This defines the temporal, intensity …

A Model For Electrical Communication Between Cochlear Implants And The Brain, Douglas A. Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last thirty years, cochlear implants have become an invaluable instrument in the treatment of severe-to-profound hearing impairment. An important aspect of research in the continued development of cochlear implants is the in vivo assessment of signal processing algorithms intended to improve perception of speech and other auditory signals. In trying to determine how closely cochlear implant recipients process sound relative to the processing done by a normal auditory system, various assessment techniques have been applied. The most common technique has been measurement of auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), which involves the recording of neural responses to auditory stimulation. Depending …