COMPUTER-ASSISTED ASSESSMENT OF COCHLEAR NERVE-FIBERS

Quantitative assessment of cochlear nerve fibers, with statistical ana lysis of histologic specimens, is facilitated by the application of co mputer image processing techniques. Three algorithms, developed for th e evaluation of cochlear sections, are presented, MANUAL, AIDED, and A UTO, in order of increasing degree of automation and decreasing requir ement for operator intervention. All three algorithms demonstrate high accuracy and consistency in identifying cochlear nerve fibers and qui ckly provide statistics regarding the target nerve fiber population. T hese algorithms have potential utility in the study of cochlear nerve pathologic alterations, as for example, with intracochlear electrical stimulation.