Cochlear electrode implant assembly with position adjustment system

摘要

An implantable cochlear electrode assembly (50) includes an initially straight flexible rodlike electrode carrier and an initially straight flexible rodlike positioning member (52) which extend in substantially parallel relation to and closely alongside each other. The assembly is inserted endwise into the scala tympani (36) of the cochlea (32) so as to adopt the spiral curvature of the cochlea (32) with the positioning member (52) being disposed at that side region of the electrode carrier (51) which faces the outer wall of the cochlea (32) and is opposite to the side region of the electrode carrier (51) at which the contact faces of the array of electrodes (55) are exposed. The electrode carrier (51) and the positioning member (52) are connected to each other at their respective leading (52a) and trailing end regions (57) but are separate from and unconnected to each other over their entire medial regions, so that the positioning member (52) can assume an outwardly arched configuration relative to the electrode carrier (51)for forcing the latter into a close hugging engagement with the modiolus and for disposing the contact faces of the electrodes (55) in as close a juxtaposition to the cells of the spiral ganglion (40) as possible. With the trailing end region (57) of the positioning member locked to the trailing end region of the electrode carrier (51), a stable implantation of the assembly is achieved.