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Hampshire Sheep as a Large-Animal Model for Cochlear Implantation

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Abstract

Background

Sheep have been proposed as a large-animal model for studying cochlear implantation. However, prior sheep studies report that the facial nerve (FN) obscures the round window membrane (RWM), requiring FN sacrifice or a retrofacial opening to access the middle-ear cavity posterior to the FN for cochlear implantation. We investigated surgical access to the RWM in Hampshire sheep compared to Suffolk-Dorset sheep and the feasibility of Hampshire sheep for cochlear implantation via a facial recess approach.

Methods

Sixteen temporal bones from cadaveric sheep heads (ten Hampshire and six Suffolk-Dorset) were dissected to gain surgical access to the RWM via an extended facial recess approach. RWM visibility was graded using St. Thomas’ Hospital (STH) classification. Cochlear implant (CI) electrode array insertion was performed in two Hampshire specimens. Micro-CT scans were obtained for each temporal bone, with confirmation of appropriate electrode array placement and segmentation of the inner ear structures.

Results

Visibility of the RWM on average was 83% in Hampshire specimens and 59% in Suffolk-Dorset specimens (p = 0.0262). Hampshire RWM visibility was Type I (100% visibility) for three specimens and Type IIa (> 50% visibility) for seven specimens. Suffolk-Dorset RWM visibility was Type IIa for four specimens and Type IIb (< 50% visibility) for two specimens. FN appeared to course more anterolaterally in Suffolk-Dorset specimens. Micro-CT confirmed appropriate CI electrode array placement in the scala tympani without apparent basilar membrane rupture.

Conclusions

Hampshire sheep appear to be a suitable large-animal model for CI electrode insertion via an extended facial recess approach without sacrificing the FN. In this small sample, Hampshire specimens had improved RWM visibility compared to Suffolk-Dorset. Thus, Hampshire sheep may be superior to other breeds for ease of cochlear implantation, with FN and facial recess anatomy more similar to humans.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge Jonathan May of May Family Enterprises Inc. for supplying the sheep specimens. We also acknowledge Christopher B. Damoci, Manager of the Oncology Precision Therapeutics and Imaging Core (OPTIC) at Columbia University Medical Center, for his assistance with the micro-CT scans. We also acknowledge MED-EL for loaning us the Flex24 electrode arrays.

Funding

This work was supported by funding from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) R01 DC016874. The Columbia University Medical Center Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG), NIH grant #P30 CA013696 (National Cancer Institute), partially funds this shared resource.

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Author notes

  1. Alexander Chern and Brandon J. Vilarello contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Nicholas A. Waring & Brandon J. Vilarello

  2. Department of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Nicholas A. Waring, Alexander Chern, Brandon J. Vilarello, Chaoqun Zhou & Elizabeth S. Olson

  3. Department of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Yew Song Cheng

  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Chaoqun Zhou

  5. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Jeffrey H. Lang

  6. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Elizabeth S. Olson

  7. Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, USA

    Hideko Heidi Nakajima

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Correspondence to Elizabeth S. Olson.

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Waring, N.A., Chern, A., Vilarello, B.J. et al. Hampshire Sheep as a Large-Animal Model for Cochlear Implantation. JARO (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-024-00946-1

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