HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free All Versions of this Article: 97/2/648    most recent 01250.2003v1 Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (3) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ghadiali, S. N. Articles by Swarts, J. D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ghadiali, S. N. Articles by Swarts, J. D.

Finite element analysis of active Eustachian tube function

¹Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem 18015; ²Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and ³Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213

Submitted 21 November 2003 ; accepted in final form 22 March 2004

The inability to open the collapsible Eustachian tube (ET) has been related to the development of chronic otitis media. Although ET dysfunction may be due to anatomic and/or mechanical abnormalities, the precise mechanisms by which these structural properties alter ET opening phenomena have not been investigated. Previous investigations could only speculate on how these structural properties influence the tissue deformation processes responsible for ET opening. We have, therefore, developed a computational technique that can quantify these structure-function relationships. Cross-sectional histological images were obtained from eight normal adult human subjects, who had no history of middle ear disease. A midcartilaginous image from each subject was used to create two-dimensional finite element models of the soft tissue structures of the ET. ET opening phenomena were simulated by applying muscle forces on soft tissue surfaces in the appropriate direction and were quantified by calculating the resistance to flow (R_v) in the opened lumen. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the relative importance of muscle forces and soft-tissue elastic properties. Muscle contraction resulted in a medial-superior rotation of the medial lamina, stretching deformation in the Ostmann's fatty tissue, and lumen dilation. Variability in baseline R_v values correlated with tissue size, whereas the functional relationship between R_v and a given mechanical parameter was consistent in all subjects. ET opening was found to be highly sensitive to the applied muscle forces and relatively insensitive to cartilage elastic properties. These computational models have, therefore, identified how different tissue elements alter ET opening phenomena, which elements should be targeted for treatment, and the optimal mechanical properties of these tissue constructs.

Young's modulus; biomechanics; elasticity; respiratory airway; compliance; fluid-structure interactions; mathematical modeling

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. C. Kanick and W. J. Doyle Barotrauma during air travel: predictions of a mathematical model J Appl Physiol, May 1, 2005; 98(5): 1592 - 1602. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]