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Three-dimensional finite element analysis of Eustachian tube function under normal and pathological conditions.

ABSTRACT: A primary etiological factor underlying chronic middle ear disease is an inability to open the collapsible Eustachian tube (ET). However, the structure-function relationships responsible for ET dysfunction in patient populations at risk for developing otitis media (OM) are not known. In this study, three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) modeling techniques were used to investigate how changes in biomechanical and anatomical properties influence opening phenomena in three populations: normal adults, young children and infants with cleft palate. Histological data was used to create anatomically accurate models and FE techniques were used to simulate tissue deformation and ET opening. Lumen dilation was quantified using a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) technique and a sensitivity analysis was performed to ascertain the relative importance of the different anatomical and tissue mechanical properties. Results for adults suggest that ET function is highly sensitive to tensor veli palatini muscle (TVPM) forces and to periluminal mucosal tissue (PMT) elasticity. Young children and cleft palate subjects exhibited reduced sensitivity to TVPM forces while changes in PMT stiffness continued to have a significant impact on ET function. These results suggest that reducing PMT stiffness might be an effective way to restore ET function in these populations. Varying TVPM force vector relationships via changes in hamulus location had no effect on ET opening in young children and cleft palate subjects but did alter force transmission to the ET lumen during conditions of elevated adhesion. These models have therefore provided important new insights into the biomechanical mechanisms responsible for ET dysfunction.

SUBMITTER: Sheer FJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3267871 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Three-dimensional finite element analysis of Eustachian tube function under normal and pathological conditions.

Sheer F J FJ Swarts J D JD Ghadiali S N SN

Medical engineering & physics 20111012 5

A primary etiological factor underlying chronic middle ear disease is an inability to open the collapsible Eustachian tube (ET). However, the structure-function relationships responsible for ET dysfunction in patient populations at risk for developing otitis media (OM) are not known. In this study, three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) modeling techniques were used to investigate how changes in biomechanical and anatomical properties influence opening phenomena in three populations: normal ...[more]

PMID: 21996354

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Project description:In this paper, a detailed analysis of microwave (MW) scattering from a three-dimensional (3D) anthropomorphic human head model is presented. It is the first time that the finite-element method (FEM) has been deployed to study the MW scattering phenomenon of a 3D realistic head model for brain stroke detection. A major contribution of this paper is to add anatomically more realistic details to the human head model compared with the literature available to date. Using the MRI database, a 3D numerical head model was developed and segmented into 21 different types through a novel tissue-mapping scheme and a mixed-model approach. The heterogeneous and frequency-dispersive dielectric properties were assigned to brain tissues using the same mapping technique. To mimic the simulation set-up, an eight-elements antenna array around the head model was designed using dipole antennae. Two types of brain stroke (haemorrhagic and ischaemic) at various locations inside the head model were then analysed for possible detection and classification. The transmitted and backscattered signals were calculated by finding out the solution of the Helmholtz wave equation in the frequency domain using the FEM. FE mesh convergence analysis for electric field values and comparison between different types of iterative solver were also performed to obtain error-free results in minimal computational time. At the end, specific absorption rate analysis was conducted to examine the ionization effects of MW signals to a 3D human head model. Through computer simulations, it is foreseen that MW imaging may efficiently be exploited to locate and differentiate two types of brain stroke by detecting abnormal tissues' dielectric properties. A significant contrast between electric field values of the normal and stroke-affected brain tissues was observed at the stroke location. This is a step towards generating MW scattering information for the development of an efficient image reconstruction algorithm.

Dataset Information

Three-dimensional finite element analysis of Eustachian tube function under normal and pathological conditions.

Publications

Three-dimensional finite element analysis of Eustachian tube function under normal and pathological conditions.

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