Ebrahimian Arash, Mohammadi Hossein, Motallebzadeh Hamid, Maftoon Nima
Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2025 Jun;26(3):271-286. doi: 10.1007/s10162-025-00989-y. Epub 2025 Apr 29.
Several therapeutic approaches for hearing disorders involve attaching medical devices to the tympanic membrane. The attachment of these devices can change the mechanical and acoustical properties of the middle ear, affecting the middle-ear vibrations. The alteration of passive mechanical properties results from the mass, stiffness, and geometry of the attached device. Additionally, procedures like tympanostomy tube attachment create perforations on the tympanic membrane, altering both the mechanical and acoustical properties of the middle ear. This study examined the acoustical effects of these as well as the combination of acoustical and mechanical effects of the attached devices on middle-ear vibrations.
A finite-element model of the middle ear, including the middle-ear cavity, was used to systematically study the effects of perforation size and location on vibration outputs. Experimental data from the literature were used to tune the model. This model was then employed to investigate the combined mechanical and acoustical effects of tympanostomy tubes on vibration outputs.
In presence of both the mechanical effects of the device (due to its mass and stiffness) and the acoustical effects of it (due to perforations), the reduction in the motion of the stapes footplate resulting from the acoustical effects is more remarkable at low frequencies (below about 1 kHz). However, at higher frequencies, the mechanical effects of the device are dominant.
The findings of this study provide insights into the optimal design of the shape, location, and other characteristics of medical devices implanted on the tympanic membrane.
治疗听力障碍的几种方法涉及将医疗设备附着于鼓膜。这些设备的附着会改变中耳的力学和声学特性，影响中耳的振动。被动力学特性的改变源于附着设备的质量、刚度和几何形状。此外，诸如鼓膜造孔管附着等操作会在鼓膜上造成穿孔，改变中耳的力学和声学特性。本研究考察了这些因素的声学效应以及附着设备的声学和力学效应组合对中耳振动的影响。
使用包括中耳腔的中耳有限元模型，系统研究穿孔大小和位置对振动输出的影响。利用文献中的实验数据对模型进行调整。然后使用该模型研究鼓膜造孔管对振动输出的综合力学和声学效应。
在设备的力学效应（因其质量和刚度）和声学效应（因穿孔）同时存在的情况下，声学效应导致的镫骨足板运动减少在低频（低于约1kHz）时更为显著。然而，在较高频率时，设备的力学效应占主导。
本研究结果为植入鼓膜的医疗设备的形状、位置和其他特性的优化设计提供了见解。
