Authors: Charlotte Garcia¹
¹University of Cambridge
Background: The Panoramic ECAP Method (PECAP) uses Electrically Evoked Compound Action Potentials (ECAPs) to generate detailed patient-specific estimates of peripheral neural responsiveness and current spread for cochlear implant (CI) patients. It has detected localized areas of reduced neural responsiveness, manipulations to current spread, and differences in patterns of current spread between Cochlear © array types. This method can be leveraged for personalized programming of CI software.
Method: Previously, PECAP was only available as a research tool. This project developed a website that allows users to collect and analyse PECAP data without the need for specialist, non-clinical software. The site has two primary functions: (1) users can enter recording parameters and download data collection files that can be imported into Cochlear ©’s Custom Sound EP” clinical software, and (2) users can upload collected PECAP data and analyse it using the PECAP algorithm, extracting plots that describe the current-spread and neural-responsiveness estimates.
Results: The online tool was launched in late 2024, and now has over 35 users (spanning researchers, industry representatives, and clinicians) from 10+ countries around the globe. Feedback is being collected in an ongoing manner to inform future updates, and expansion for use with MED-EL and Cochlear’s NEXA devices is planned.
Conclusion: Development of PECAP into an online platform not only enables external researchers to analyse their own PECAP data, but also allows clinicians to access the resource. This transition from a research-only tool to an accessible platform is expected to increase the ability of clinicians to provide personalised hearing healthcare to cochlear-implant users.
