Comments on "Acoustic Transfer Characteristics in Human Middle Ears Studied by a SQUID Magnetometer Method" [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 82, 1646-1654 (1987)].
The study by Brenkman et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 82, 1646-1654 (1987)] of malleus umbo and anterior crus of stapes displacement in 14 human temporal bones shows a mean -7.3-dB/oct slope above 1.0 kHz for stapes displacement in response to a 80-dB SPL input at the eardrum. The slope they obtained for midfrequency (1.0-4.0 kHz) stapes displacement is significantly flatter than what was found previously [Gyo et al., Acta Otolaryngol. 103, 87-95 (1987); Gundersen, Prostheses in the Ossicular Chain (University Park, Baltimore, MD, 1971); Kringlebotn and Gundersen, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 77, 159-164 (1985); Vlaming and Feenstra, Clin. Otolaryngol. 11, 353-363 (1986a)]; in these studies, stapes displacement rolled off at -12.0 to -14.9 dB/oct above 1.0 kHz. It appears that their mean midfrequency stapes displacement slope has been flattened by some unusual results in a small number of ears. Possible reasons for these results are discussed.
Goode
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Division of Otolaryngology, Stanford University Medical Center, California 94305.
Nakamura
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Gyo
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Aritomo
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D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D004429:Ear Ossicles / Q000502:physiology*; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000502:physiology*; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D055590:Electromagnetic Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D008307:Malleus / Q000502:physiology*; D013199:Stapes / Q000502:physiology*