| 摘要 |
A guide tube that may be used to successfully implant a perimodiolar electrode carrier and other electrode carriers in cochlea of different sizes with minimal potential for tip fold-over and trauma to modiolus. Specifically, the following embodiments of the guide tube of the present invention overcome the wide variations in cochlea size by comprising a flexible distal end region and a rigid guide tube body. The distal end region is sufficiently flexible to adjust its shape in response to forces applied to the distal end region by the electrode carrier positioned within its lumen. By adjusting; that is, bending, to an extent dictated by the amount the electrode carrier extends through the distal end region, and whether the distal end region abuts a cochlea structure, particularly, the modiolus. As such, the distal end region of the guide tube serves as a deployment ramp for the pre-curved electrode carrier causing the electrode carrier to follow an optimized trajectory as it comes into contact with the modiolus. Specifically, the electrode carrier follows a trajectory that is tangential with the surface of the modiolus when it comes into contact with the modiolus. This minimizes contact trauma and reduces the likelihood of tip fold over, and ensures that a single electrode/insertion technique may be implemented to accommodate the full range of cochlea sizes. |
