Pfiffner Flurin, Prochazka Lukas, Peus Dominik, Dobrev Ivo, Dalbert Adrian, Sim Jae Hoon, Kesterke Rahel, Walraevens Joris, Harris Francesca, Roosli Christof, Obrist Dominik, Huber Alexander
IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2017 Oct;64(10):2431-2438. doi: 10.1109/TBME.2016.2640447. Epub 2016 Dec 16.
Intracochlear sound pressure (ICSP) measurements are limited by the small dimensions of the human inner ear and the requirements imposed by the liquid medium. A robust intracochlear acoustic receiver (ICAR) for repeated use with a simple data acquisition system that provides the required high sensitivity and small dimensions does not yet exist. The work described in this report aims to fill this gap and presents a new microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) condenser microphone (CMIC)-based ICAR concept suitable for ICSP measurements in human temporal bones.
The ICAR head consisted of a passive protective diaphragm (PD) sealing the MEMS CMIC against the liquid medium, enabling insertion into the inner ear. The components of the MEMS CMIC-based ICAR were expressed by a lumped element model (LEM) and compared to the performance of successfully fabricated ICARs.
Good agreement was achieved between the LEM and the measurements with different sizes of the PD. The ICSP measurements in a human cadaver temporal bone yielded data in agreement with the literature.
Our results confirm that the presented MEMS CMIC-based ICAR is a promising technology for measuring ICSP in human temporal bones in the audible frequency range.
A sensor for evaluation of the biomechanical hearing process by quantification of ICSP is presented. The concept has potential as an acoustic receiver in totally implantable cochlear implants.
耳蜗内声压（ICSP）测量受到人类内耳微小尺寸以及液体介质所带来要求的限制。目前尚不存在一种能够与简单数据采集系统重复使用的、具备所需高灵敏度和小尺寸的坚固型耳蜗内声学接收器（ICAR）。本报告中所描述的工作旨在填补这一空白，并提出一种基于微机电系统（MEMS）电容式麦克风（CMIC）的新型ICAR概念，适用于在人类颞骨中进行ICSP测量。
ICAR头部由一个无源保护隔膜（PD）组成，该隔膜将MEMS CMIC与液体介质密封隔开，使其能够插入内耳。基于MEMS CMIC的ICAR组件通过集总元件模型（LEM）来表示，并与成功制造的ICAR的性能进行比较。
LEM与不同尺寸PD的测量结果之间取得了良好的一致性。在人类尸体颞骨中进行的ICSP测量得到的数据与文献一致。
我们的结果证实，所提出的基于MEMS CMIC的ICAR是一种在可听频率范围内测量人类颞骨中ICSP的有前景的技术。
提出了一种通过量化ICSP来评估生物力学听觉过程的传感器。该概念具有作为完全植入式人工耳蜗声学接收器的潜力。
