CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Laryngorhinootologie 2019; 98(S 02): S152
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1686502
Abstracts
Otology

Experimental study of parameters affecting the sound transmission of stapes piston prosthesis using an artificial inner ear model

A Schulze
1   Uniklinikum Dresden, Klinik und Poliklinik für HNO, Dresden
,
N Lasurashvili
1   Uniklinikum Dresden, Klinik und Poliklinik für HNO, Dresden
,
M Bornitz
1   Uniklinikum Dresden, Klinik und Poliklinik für HNO, Dresden
,
T Zahnert
1   Uniklinikum Dresden, Klinik und Poliklinik für HNO, Dresden
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    Since the first stapesplasty was introduced in 1956, the optimal diameter of the stapes piston was discussed controversially. Several retrospective clinical studies led to partly contradictory results which, moreover, were not in agreement with simulation results.

    In order to address this deficiency and to measure the acousto-mechanical properties of the piston in experimental studies reproducibly, we developed a model of the inner ear within the frame of this study. Our model consists of a cylindrical plastic reservoir filled with a liquid and is similar to the human cochlea in terms of dimensions and mechanical properties. One end of the cylinder has been covered with a membrane in order to emulate the round window. Using a microphone, the sound emission and hence the transfer function of the inner ear model can be accessed via this end of the cylinder. The other end of the cylinder is sealed by means of exchangeable plastic covers with perforations for pistons of varying diameter ranging from 0.4 mm up to 1 mm.

    This vehicle allows us to study how the piston diameter, its weight and angle as well as the connective tissue coverage within the fenestration area affect the transfer function.

    Our measurement results indicate that larger prosthesis diameters lead to improved transfer functions. Moreover, an effective gap coverage can improve the transfer function depending on the frequency by up to 20 dB. In contrast a variation of the angle up to 30 ° with respect to the vertical line of the stapes did not show an impact on the sound transmission. The results of this study confirm existing theoretical studies on the influence of the diameter of the piston. At the same time, however, our observations demonstrate the significant importance of the connective tissue coverage.


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    Dr. med. Anja Schulze
    Uniklinikum Dresden, Klinik und Poliklinik für HNO,
    Fetscherstraße 74, 01307
    Dresden

    Publication History

    Publication Date:
    23 April 2019 (online)

    © 2019. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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