PhD Defense: Raphael Andonie Develops Algorithm to Improve Cochlear Health

In his thesis, Raphael identified biomarkers for inner ear health derived from prospectively recorded Cochlear Implant (CI) telemetry data. This included the development of objective algorithms that enable telemetry-based surgical feedback and monitoring of the postoperative tissue response.

CIs are neuro-prosthetic devices designed to restore speech understanding in patients with severe to profound hearing loss. Many CI candidates present with residual low-frequency hearing, which can enhance auditory rehabilitation. However, approximately half of these patients lose residual hearing as a result of surgical trauma or adverse tissue response. Real-time monitoring and prediciton of cochlear health therefore remain important, yet unresolved clinical priorities for improving hearing preservation in CI patients.

The results of Raphael's thesis are promising: his work demonstrates that CI telemetry can be used to automatically monitor residual hearing in CI patients. His newly developed algorithms enable objective evaluation of highly complex CI telemetry data. He continues his work as a Postdoc and will focus on combining multiple telemetry measures to guide surgical decision-making and improve hearing preservation during cochlear implantation.

Congratulations to Dr. Raphael Andonie on this incredible achievement and contribution to the improvement of cochlear health!

Publications:

Andonie, Raphael R.; Wimmer, Wilhelm; Wildhaber, Reto A.; Mantokoudis, Georgios; Caversaccio, Marco; Weder, Stefan (2025). Electrocochleography Latency: Correlation With Electrode Position During Cochlear Implantation. Ear & Hearing 46(5): pp. 1130-1140. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins 10.1097/AUD.0000000000001652

Andonie, Raphael; Caversaccio, Marco; Weder, Stefan; Wimmer, Wilhelm (2025). Impendance-based tissue response modeling for the prediction of hearing preservation after cochlear implantation. Computers in Biology and Medicine 196(Pt A):110626. Elsevier 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2025.110626

Andonie, Raphael R.; Wimmer, Wilhelm; Schraivogel, Stephan; Mantoukoudis, Georgios; Caversaccio, Marco; Weder, Stefan (2025). Electrocochleography in Cochlear Implant Recipients: Correlating Maximum Response With Residual Hearing. Ear & Hearing 46(1): pp. 16-23. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins 10.1097/AUD.0000000000001546

Andonie, Raphael R.; Wimmer, Wilhelm; Wildhaber, Reto A.; Caversaccio, Marco; Weder, Stefan (2023). Real-Time Feature Extraction From Electrocochleography With Impendance Measurements During Cochlear Implantation Using Linear State-Space Models. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 70(11): pp. 3137-3146. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 10.1109/TBME.2023.3276993