Noise Exposure on Human Cochlea During Cochleostomy Formation Using Conventional and a Hand Guided Robotic Drill.

Abstract

To investigate the disturbance induced in the cochlea during cochleostomy using conventional drill and a hand guided robotic drill. The study is based on experimental measurements using the Laser Doppler Vibrometer during the drilling processes converted to Sound Pressure Levels (SPL) for comparison. The study is based on experimental results of three sets of cochleostomies on human cadaver heads. Robotic drilling, in comparison to the conventional drilling method, creates a consistently lower level of disturbance in cochlea across the hearing frequency range. Robotic drilling, in comparison to the conventional drilling method, creates a consistently lower level of disturbance in cochlea across the hearing frequency range. It is reasonable to conclude that robotic drilling has a lower possibility of creating acoustic trauma in cochlea that endangers the residual hearing of patients.