Three-dimensional finite element modeling of Cochlear implant induced electrical current flows

Cochlear implants have been one of most successful electronic devices implanted to human bodies to convert mechanical signals to electronic signals to stimulate auditory nerves to react. The current flow in the region of the cochlear is the key to determine the performance of cochlear implants. One of the efforts could be made to reduce current leakage into the brain to increase the efficiency of the device. This paper aims to construct a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model to examine the current flow path in different surrounding tissues involved. The MRI data is processed to generate solid model and then FE model for the numerical analysis, which contains gray and white matters of the brain that was assembled and was analyzed in ABAQUS. The modeling results provide us with an effective means to improvement of cochlear implant design in the future.