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3D finite element model of the chinchilla ear for characterizing middle ear functions

Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology volume 15, pages 1263–1277 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Chinchilla is a commonly used animal model for research of sound transmission through the ear. Experimental measurements of the middle ear transfer function in chinchillas have shown that the middle ear cavity greatly affects the tympanic membrane (TM) and stapes footplate (FP) displacements. However, there is no finite element (FE) model of the chinchilla ear available in the literature to characterize the middle ear functions with the anatomical features of the chinchilla ear. This paper reports a recently completed 3D FE model of the chinchilla ear based on X-ray micro-computed tomography images of a chinchilla bulla. The model consisted of the ear canal, TM, middle ear ossicles and suspensory ligaments, and the middle ear cavity. Two boundary conditions of the middle ear cavity wall were simulated in the model as the rigid structure and the partially flexible surface, and the acoustic-mechanical coupled analysis was conducted with these two conditions to characterize the middle ear function. The model results were compared with experimental measurements reported in the literature including the TM and FP displacements and the middle ear input admittance in chinchilla ear. An application of this model was presented to identify the acoustic role of the middle ear septa—a unique feature of chinchilla middle ear cavity. This study provides the first 3D FE model of the chinchilla ear for characterizing the middle ear functions through the acoustic-mechanical coupled FE analysis.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the former graduate student Dr. Xiying Guan for his work on image processing of the middle ear ossicels and the undergraduate students Rebecca L. Browder and Kegan W. Leckness for their participations in 3D-reconstruction of the chinchilla model at the University of Oklahoma. This work was supported by NIH R01DC011585.

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Affiliations

  1. School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Center, University of Oklahoma, 865 Asp Avenue, Room 200, Norman, OK, 73019, USA

    Xuelin Wang & Rong Z. Gan

  2. School of Mechanical Engineering and Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

    Xuelin Wang

Authors
  1. Xuelin Wang
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  2. Rong Z. Gan
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Correspondence to Rong Z. Gan.

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Wang, X., Gan, R.Z. 3D finite element model of the chinchilla ear for characterizing middle ear functions. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 15, 1263–1277 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10237-016-0758-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10237-016-0758-5

Keywords

  • Middle ear
  • Fluid–structure interaction
  • Finite element model
  • Biomechanics of hearing