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Biomedical subjects

W F Decraemer

Publications and source records attributed to W F Decraemer.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Area change and volume displacement of the human tympanic membrane under static pressure.

Direct measurements are presented of the area change and volume displacement of a human tympanic membrane under static pressures in the range of -1.6 KPa to +1.6 kPa. The area change is given separately for the pars tensa and the pars flaccida. For the pars tensa a strong asymmetry in area change under positive and negative pressure is observed. The volume displacement is also given separately for the pars tensa and the pars flaccida. The volume displacement of the entire TM agrees very well with volume displacement data in literature on tympanometry. It is shown further that a linear relationship between umbo displacement and volume displacement exists. The compliance of the tympanic membrane under static pressure load is compared to acoustic compliance measurements at low frequencies, and found to be a factor 2.5 higher than the compliance at 500 Hz.

Acoustic Impedance Tests

On the degree of rigidity of the manubrium in a finite-element model of the cat eardrum.

It has always been assumed that the manubrium is in effect perfectly rigid. In this paper, a more realistic model of the manubrium is incorporated into an existing finite-element model of the cat eardrum. The manubrial thickness is based on a three-dimensional reconstruction from serial histological sections. After a review of the literature, a value of 2 x 10(11) dyn cm-2 is adopted for the Young's modulus of the bone. The mode of vibration of the model is investigated for different manubrial-thickness values and it is found that a significant degree of manubrial bending occurs in the model for realistic values of manubrial thickness. As a result of the bending, the frequency response at the umbo at high frequencies displays much higher amplitudes and larger phase lags than when the manubrium is rigid. The bending will also affect the displacements transmitted to the ossicular load, and introduce significant errors into estimates of such displacements based on measurements of umbo displacement even at frequencies as low as a few kHz. Recent measurements of manubrium vibrations in the cat ear provide experimental evidence of bending.

Animals

Human tympanic membrane deformation under static pressure.

The effect of static pressures in the range of plus and minus 1.6 kPa on the shape of tympanic membrane is measured using a non-contacting optical technique on a fresh human temporal bone. Full field data of the deformation are presented as well as cross-sections along two major directions. Strong asymmetry between medial and lateral movements is demonstrated. The displacement of the umbo is compared to other work. The rotation angle of the manubrium in function of pressure is calculated and also compared to other work. It is demonstrated that the rotation angels can not account for the measured movement of the umbo, which leads to the conclusion that for static high pressure levels the classical hypothesis of rotation around a fixed axis has to be abandoned. The comparison with data of TM displacement under dynamic stimuli is discussed.

Adult

Shape and derived geometrical parameters of the adult, human tympanic membrane measured with a phase-shift moiré interferometer.

The shape of the tympanic membrane is fairly complex and seems to be of significant importance in the coupling of the acoustic sound pressure in the external ear canal to the motion of the middle ear ossicles. A moiré shift interferometer was used to measure with great precision the shape of the external surface of human tympanic membrane. The dense matrix of z(x,y) values thus obtained is used to calculate different geometrical parameters (area, curvature, ...). We show further how the same data can be used to specify exactly the shape of the tympanic membrane in a mathematical finite-element model of the middle ear.

Adult

Malleus vibration mode changes with frequency.

The mode of vibration of the cat manubrium is investigated by measuring its vibration in response to sound stimulus at four locations between the umbo and the processus lateralis with a heterodyne interferometer. The determination of mode requires high precision in measurement because amplitude differences between the points are small (about 20% at low audio-frequencies). Changes in the frequency response with time have been reported in an earlier paper. The nature and magnitude of this time change is analysed in detail: over a period of 1 h the average change in amplitude is about 5% and in phase 5 degrees. The malleus vibration at some frequencies is purely translational, it is rotational at others and mixed at most frequencies. When the motion is rotational the position of the axis of rotation shifts with frequency, the shifts are so large that the axis can lie near the umbo so that amplitudes at the processus lateralis are larger than at the umbo. The classical concept of the malleus rotating around a fixed axis running from the anterior mallar to the posterior incudal ligament fits our measurements only at low frequencies.

Animals

Heterodyne interferometer measurements of the frequency response of the manubrium tip in cat.

A heterodyne interferometer proved to be a very accurate tool to measure amplitude and phase of the malleus response during acoustical stimulation. It was shown that to obtain equal accuracy in the acoustical pressure measurements, pressure response must be remeasured at short time intervals. At frequencies above 4 kHz various gross resonances are apparent on the frequency response curves. The resonances are, depending on the animal, more or less pronounced. As a result of the improved accuracy changes of the malleus vibration response with time could clearly be discriminated. These changes can be related to shifts in frequency of the position of these resonances. Comparison of experimental frequency response and lumped parameter model predictions from literature shows that these resonances are not present in the model responses.

Acoustics

A thermodynamically consistent constitutive equation for the elastic force-length relation of soft biological materials.

Starting from the laws of thermodynamics of reversible processes, a temperature-dependent constitutive equation is derived for the elastic force-length relation of soft biological tissues. These tissues are composed of a network of fibres (mainly collagen). The equation is based on a model which uses a simplified two-dimensional representation of the alpha-helix of collagen.

Collagen

Interferometric measurement of the amplitude and phase of tympanic membrane vibrations in cat.

The amplitude and phase of the tympanic membrane and malleus vibrations were measured over a wide frequency range with a homodyne interferometer. When sound pressure was maintained constant near the tympanic membrane, the malleus frequency response followed the typical pattern up to 10 kHz as measured by previous investigators. At higher frequencies the response changes dramatically. Instead of decreasing with frequency, between 10 and 20 kHz the vibration amplitude oscillates around a value which is only about 20 dB lower than the low frequency plateau level. Measurements of malleus vibration at several points along its length indicate that its mode of vibration changes at high frequencies, and no longer consists of a simple rotational component. All points on the tympanic membrane vibrate in phase with the malleus up to a frequency of 1 kHz. Above 5 kHz discrete resonances are observed, and the response varies strongly with position on the tympanic membrane.

Animals

On the damped frequency response of a finite-element model of the cat eardrum.

This article presents frequency responses calculated using a three-dimensional finite-element model of the cat eardrum that includes damping. The damping is represented by both mass-proportional and stiffness-proportional terms. With light damping, the frequency responses of points on the eardrum away from the manubrium display numerous narrow minima and maxima, the frequencies and amplitudes of which are different for different positions on the eardrum. The frequency response on the manubrium is smoother than that on the eardrum away from the manubrium. Increasing the degree of damping smooths the frequency responses both on the manubrium and on the eardrum away from the manubrium. The overall displacement magnitudes are not significantly reduced even when the damping is heavy enough to smooth out all but the largest variations. Experimentally observed frequency responses of the cat eardrum are presented for comparison with the model results.

Acoustics