The cochlear implant (CI) is a widely accepted option in patients with severe to profound
hearing loss receiving limited benefit from traditional hearing aids. CI surgery uses a default setting
for frequency allocation aiming to reproduce tonotopicity, thus mimicking the normal cochlea. One
emerging instrument that may substantially help the surgeon before, during, and after the surgery
is a surgical planning software product developed in collaboration by CASCINATION AG (Bern,
Switzerland) and MED-EL (Innsbruck Austria). The aim of this narrative review is to present
an overview of the main features of this otological planning software, called OTOPLAN®. The
literature was searched on the PubMed andWeb of Science databases. The search terms used were
“OTOPLAN”, “cochlear planning software” “three-dimensional imaging”, “3D segmentation”, and
“cochlear implant” combined into different queries. This strategy yielded 52 publications, and a total
of 31 studies were included. The review of the literature revealed that OTOPLAN is a useful tool
for otologists and audiologists as it improves preoperative surgical planning both in adults and in
children, guides the intraoperative procedure and allows postoperative evaluation of the CI.
