Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42704466›Full record

ReviewEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery2026

Three-dimensional printing and cochlear implantation: a systematic review.

Eleonora M C Trecca, Annamaria Ruzza, Marco Cianca, Francesco di Pierro, Lazzaro Cassano, Giannicola Iannella, Alfonso Scarpa, Umberto Riccelli, Ciro Lucio Vigliaroli, Michele Cassano

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Unreported search comprehensiveness and inter-rater reliability in the systematic review of 3D printing in cochlear implantation.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Eleonora M C TreccaDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Unit of Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto, 1, 71122, Foggia, Italy. eleonoramc.trecca@gmail.com.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6490-1746
Annamaria RuzzaDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, IRCCS Hospital Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo (Foggia), Italy.
Marco CiancaDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Unit of Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto, 1, 71122, Foggia, Italy.
Francesco di PierroDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, IRCCS Hospital Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo (Foggia), Italy.
Lazzaro CassanoDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, IRCCS Hospital Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo (Foggia), Italy.
Giannicola IannellaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Alfonso ScarpaDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy.
Umberto RiccelliDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, IRCCS Hospital Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo (Foggia), Italy.
Ciro Lucio VigliaroliDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, IRCCS Hospital Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo (Foggia), Italy.
Michele CassanoDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Unit of Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto, 1, 71122, Foggia, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis systematic review aims to evaluate the applications of three-dimensional (3D) printing in cochlear implantation (CI), focusing on its roles in surgical training, pre-operative planning, intraoperative assistance, and device innovation.

methodsA systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar was conducted from inception to August 30, 2025. Keywords included "Cochlear Implant" OR "Cochlear Implantation" AND "3D printing". Additional articles were identified through manual cross-referencing. Eligible studies were original research articles in English that investigated the use of 3D printing in CI. Exclusion criteria included reviews, conference papers, and studies unrelated to CI. Reporting completeness was evaluated using the STROBE checklist, while methodological risk of bias was independently assessed using validated, domain-specific tools (ROBINS-I, SYRCLE, and adapted QUADAS-2 domains). Due to profound study heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis was performed.

resultsOf the 76 publications identified, 22 studies met the inclusion criteria, with a marked increase after 2021. The included literature was divided into three functional areas: teaching models/surgical training (n = 13), preclinical research/device innovation (n = 3) and clinical/anatomical applications in humans (n = 6). The reported empirical accuracies ranged from 16 to 400 microns. The mean STROBE score was 14.8 ± 3.1, indicating moderate to high reporting quality. However, a rigorous methodological assessment revealed a high risk of bias among human and cadaveric series due to non-comparative designs and a lack of blinding on the part of the researchers, whilst studies using synthetic simulators demonstrated a predominantly low risk of bias.

conclusionsThis review underscores the transformative potential of 3D printing in CI, particularly in enhancing surgical training and improving procedural outcomes. As the first systematic review focusing exclusively on cochlear-implant-specific applications, it addresses a critical gap in the literature and highlights opportunities for future research to standardize methodologies and explore long-term clinical impacts.

Indexed as

Biocompatible materialsCochlear implantsOtolaryngologyProsthesis designSurgical trainingThree-dimensional printing

Identifiers

PMID42704466

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.