Electrical techniques for biomarker detection in a cochlea

Abstract

A method, including energizing one or more electrodes of a cochlear electrode array to induce a current flow in the cochlea at a plurality of temporal locations, measuring one or more electrical properties at one or more locations in the cochlea resulting from the induced current flow at the plurality of different temporal locations and determining whether or not trauma has occurred based on a change between the measured electrical properties from the first temporal location to the second temporal location.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . A method, comprising:
 applying an electrical current to one or more electrodes of an electrode array located in a cochlea of a recipient;   obtaining data indicative of respective impedances between electrodes of a plurality of groups electrodes, respective groups of the plurality of groups including at least two electrodes corresponding respectively to different locations along the electrode array;   determining an existence of a difference between respective impedances between electrodes of a first group of electrodes of the plurality of groups of electrodes and between electrodes of a second group of electrodes of the plurality of groups of electrodes; and   at least one of:
 determining a location of the difference of at least one of the groups of electrodes representing the existing difference; or 
 applying a treatment based on the determined existence. 
   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising:
 determining the location of the difference of at least one of the groups of electrodes representing the existing difference.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising:
 applying a treatment based on the determined existence.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein:
 the treatment is flushing the cochlea.   
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein:
 the treatment is flushing the cochlea with a saline solution.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein:
 the treatment is applying a drug agent to the cochlea.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising:
 determining a location, density and temporal feature of the impedance change.   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising:
 determining that trauma has occurred; and   determining the location of the trauma within the cochlea based on location along the electrode array of the difference of at least one of the groups of electrodes representing the existing difference.   
     
     
         45 . A method, comprising:
 energizing one or more electrodes of a cochlear electrode array to induce a current flow in the cochlea at a plurality of locations;   measuring one or more electrical properties at at least two different locations resulting from the induced current flow at the plurality of different locations; and   determining whether or not trauma has occurred based on a difference between the measured electrical properties at the respective different locations.   
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein:
 the at least two different locations are spatial locations.   
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein:
 the at least two different locations are at different spatial locations along the electrode array.   
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein:
 the at least two different spatial locations are at a same location within the cochlea.   
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein:
 the measured one or more electrical properties at a first location of the two different locations is significantly different from that at a second location of the two different locations; and   the determination of whether or not the trauma has occurred includes determining that trauma has occurred based on the significant difference.   
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein:
 a diffusion technique is used to determine whether or not trauma has occurred.   
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein:
 a diffusion technique is not used to determine whether or not trauma has occurred.   
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein:
 the different locations are spatial locations; and   the different measurements are taken in a single given temporal period.   
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein:
 there are at least ten different spatial locations of the at least two different spatial locations;   the one or more measured electrical properties includes impedance;   there are at at least four different spatial locations of the at least ten different locations that have impedances that are higher than at other spatial locations of the at least ten different spatial locations; and   the determination of whether or not the trauma has occurred includes determining that trauma has occurred based on the higher impedances.   
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 45 , further comprising:
 determining that trauma has occurred; and   therapeutically treating the cochlea upon the determination that trauma has occurred.   
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 54 , wherein:
 the action of therapeutically treating the cochlea includes at least one of flushing the cochlea or applying a medicament to the cochlea.   
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein:
 the trauma is a tear in a wall of the cochlea.   
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein:
 the two different locations are spatial locations; and   the method further comprises:
 determining that trauma has occurred; 
 analyzing the change in the measured electrical property(s) to identify a location along the electrode array of the measured electrical property(s); and 
 determining the location of the trauma within the cochlea based on location along the electrode array. 
   
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein:
 the two different locations are spatial locations;   the action of measuring an electrical property(s) at a location in the cochlea resulting from the induced current flow at the plurality of different temporal locations is part of an action of measuring respective electrical properties at a plurality of locations in the cochlea using four point impedance measurements, the plurality of locations corresponding to locations of, respectively, at least 7 electrodes of the electrode array; and   the action of determining whether or not trauma has occurred based on a change between the measured electrical properties from the first temporal location to the second temporal location includes identifying a change in impedance between at least some neighboring electrodes of the at least 7 electrodes.   
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 58 , further comprising:
 determining that trauma has occurred; and   identifying a location of the trauma based on a comparison of the change in impedance between groups of the at least some neighboring electrodes.   
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein:
 the at least two different locations are different temporal locations;   a change between the one or more electrical properties has occurred between the different temporal locations;   the change is a change that is indicative of fibrous tissue growth within the cochlea if the temporal period was longer than a day; and   the method includes determining that insertion trauma has occurred because the determined time period is less than a day.   
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein:
 The action of determining whether or not trauma has occurred includes determining that there is blood in the cochlea; and   the method further includes monitoring spread of the blood in the cochlea based on impedance measurements between electrodes inside the cochlea, the impedance measurements corresponding to the measured one or more electrical properties.   
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein:
 air bubbles are present in the cochlea at the time that the one or more electrical properties are measured;   the electrical properties are voltages;   the action of determining whether or not trauma has occurred includes determining that trauma has not occurred; and   trauma has not occurred.