Three-dimensional vibration of the ossicular chain in the cat

Willem F. Decraemer; Shyam M. Khanna

doi:10.1117/12.386747

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22 May 2000 Three-dimensional vibration of the ossicular chain in the cat

Willem F. Decraemer, Shyam M. Khanna

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Proceedings Volume 4072, Fourth International Conference on Vibration Measurements by Laser Techniques: Advances and Applications; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.386747
Event: 4th International Conference on Vibration Measurement by Laser Techniques, 2000, Ancona, Italy

Abstract

To investigate the relationship of the motion of the malleus, incus and stapes in the middle ear of cat the 3D vibrations of the three ossicles were measured in the same ear utilizing a confocal heterodyne interferometer. Each ossicle was treated as a separate rigid body and its motion was calculated individually. A micro CT scanner was used to obtain serial sections of the experimental temporal bone. A 3D reconstruction of the three ossicles was made using these sections. The parameters derived from the rigid body motion calculation were combined to animate a 3D model of the complete middle ear. While the malleus vibration changed from simple, nearly hinged motion at low frequencies to very complex at higher frequencies, the stapes moved in a predominantly piston-like way. The incus transforms the complex malleus motion into the simple motion of the stapes. The incudo-stapedial joint plays a major role in this complex transmission mechanism. It is accepted that the ossicles rotate around a fixed axis and function as mechanical levers. Our precise vibration measurements on malleus do not confirm this theory.

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Willem F. Decraemer and Shyam M. Khanna "Three-dimensional vibration of the ossicular chain in the cat", Proc. SPIE 4072, Fourth International Conference on Vibration Measurements by Laser Techniques: Advances and Applications, (22 May 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.386747

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