Recently, optical coherence tomography (OCT) was utilized in multiple studies for structural and functional imaging of the middle ear and the tympanic membrane. Since Doppler OCT allows both, the spatially resolved measurement of the tympanic membrane oscillation and high-resolution imaging, it is regarded as a promising tool for future in vivo applications. In this study, Doppler OCT is utilized for the visualization of the tympanic membrane oscillation in temporal bones with simulated Eustachian catarrh, which was realized by generating a depression in the tympanic cavity. The transfer function, meaning the oscillation amplitude normalized to the applied sound pressure, is measured frequency resolved in the range from 0.5 kHz to 6 kHz and with a lateral spatial resolution of 0.4 mm. Typical oscillation patterns could be observed in case of ambient pressure in the tympanic cavity. Under depression the characteristic oscillation patterns were observed with widely congruent appearance but at higher frequencies.

The presented thesis concerns the biomechanics of hearing. The main aim of this work is the determination of so called corrections which allow for the comparison of synthetic audiograms and measured audiograms. With these corrections we attempt to overcome the discrepancy that exists between the computational modelling and audiological measurement. The discrepancy lies in a fact that the computational modelling usually simulates the sound coming from a free eld to the external auditory canal, while audiological measurement is realized by audiological headphones, whether the auditory system is healthy or injured. Then corrections adjust the computational model so that the obtained result is comparable to audiological measurement. In this work is also addressed the influence of stapes kinematics to the excitation of basilar membrane. The movement of stapes consists of piston-like movement and rocking movement. The computational simulation shows which movement is more signicant for the excitation of basilar membrane and how this effect can be used in otosurgery, in particular, for type IV of tympanoplasty.

This paper presents a method of parameter identification for a finite-element model of the human middle ear. The parameter values are estimated using a characterization of the difference in natural frequencies and mode shapes of the tympanic membrane between the model and the specimens. Experimental results were obtained from temporal bone specimens under sound excitation (300–3,000 Hz). The first 3 modes of the tympanic membrane could be observed with a laser scanning vibrometer and were used to estimate the stiffness parameters for the orthotropic finite-element model of the eardrum. A further point of discussion is the parameter sensitivity and its implication for the identification process. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.