Innovative Mechatronic Techniques for Contrasting Pressure Disturbances in the Closed Space of Cochlea

A mechatronic surgical micro-drill applied in practice has enabled new techniques for measurement in otology to understand the dynamic response of the cochlea hearing organ. In the interest of reducing trauma and to reinforce preservation of residual hearing during surgery, results point to choices in technique as mechatronic devices offer significantly less disturbance than conventional surgical tools used in cochlear electrode implantation. The cochlea transforms mechanical disturbances induced from incident ambient sound to electrical neuro-signals interpreted in the brain as sound, and is a closed volume of fluids and delicate membranes. The mechatronic drilling technique can expose consistently sized membranes at the base of a hole drilled through the bone tissue shell of the cochlea. The dynamic deflection of membrane windows, in response to fluid pressure transients, enables contrast between intra-cochlear disturbances at different locations within the cochlea, and between normal hearing disturbance amplitude and disturbances induced by surgical processes.