Toward more reliable testing of cochlear implant electrodes: A method for image-based alignment of cochlear specimens

Insertion tests into ex vivo cochlear specimens are a widely used technique for the experimental evaluation of cochlear implant electrode arrays (EA) whereby forces are measured and analyzed to characterize the EAs. Since the orientation of the cochlear lumen with respect to the insertion axis of the test setup strongly effects these forces, a controlled alignment of the specimen needs to be ensured. So far, the alignment of the cochlear specimens can only be roughly estimated based on anatomical landmarks.