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Robotic-Assisted Cochlear Implant (CI) Procedures Are Here

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1.  Patients who are indicated for use of the iotaSOFT robotic-assisted cochlear implant electrode array insertion system exhibit which of the following?
  1. Abnormal inner ear anatomy
  2. 1 years of age or older
  3. Meet current cochlear implant candidacy
  4. All of the above
2.  Soft surgical techniques and the use of the iotaSOFT system have demonstrated which of the following?
  1. No change in insertion forces during electrode array placement
  2. No change in intracochlear trauma
  3. Stable long-term delayed onset of hearing loss up to one year in adult recipients of different CI manufacturers
  4. None of the above
3.  With regard to the Khan et al., 2026 article presented: patients with residual hearing routinely report wanting to preserve some or all of their functional acoustic hearing. Which of these choices accurately captures the data from this large cohort study?
  1. Higher Preservation Rates: 85% of patients in the robotic-assisted group maintained functional acoustic hearing, compared to 71% in the manual group.
  2. Equivalent Preservation Rates: the two groups maintained the exact same levels of functional acoustic hearing.
  3. No Preservation Rate Data: no data were presented on functional acoustic hearing preservation rates in this study.
  4. Lower Preservation Rates: the robotic-assisted group had lower preservation rates of functional acoustic hearing than the manual cohort.
4.  Again with regard to the Khan et al., 2006 paper, data on manual vs robot-assisted insertions was presented in a large cohort of adult subjects. Which of the following best characterizes that data?
  1. Insertion Type: Manual insertion outcomes were superior to robotic-assisted CI procedure outcomes and are considered statistically significant.
  2. Insertion type: Manual and robotic insertion delayed onset hearing loss (DOHL) outcomes were equivalent.
  3. Hearing Stability Over Time: The robotic cohort demonstrated significantly lower rates of delayed-onset hearing loss (DOHL), suggesting that the precision of a controlled insertion reduces intracochlear trauma. Robotic insertion reduced DOHL by nearly one-third.
  4. Hearing Stability Over Time: The manual cohort demonstrated lower rates of delayed-onset hearing loss (DOHL), suggesting that the precision of a controlled insertion is not clinically relevant.
5.  There are many more CI candidates than CI recipients. Setting aside lack of awareness about cochlear implants as an option, what are some of the reasons patients do not move forward with a CI?
  1. Fear of surgery: patients worry that the procedure requires an in-patient stay, a long recovery period and general anesthesia.
  2. Loss aversion: patients do not want to lose what hearing they DO have, even when it is not serving them well.
  3. Outcome confusion: they are unclear on speech outcomes with a CI compared to those same outcomes with their hearing aids.
  4. All of the above