title: A nonlinear finite-element model of the newborn ear canal.
abstract: A three-dimensional nonlinear finite-element model of a 22-day-old newborn ear canal is presented. The geometry is based on a clinical x-ray CT scan. A nonlinear hyperelastic constitutive law is applied to model large deformations. The Young's modulus of the soft tissue is found to have a significant effect on the ear-canal volume change, which ranges from approximately 27% to 75% over the static-pressure range of +/-3kPa. The effects of Poisson's ratio and of the ratio C10: C01 in the hyperelastic model are found to be small. The volume changes do not reach a plateau at high pressures, which implies that the newborn ear-canal wall would not be rigid in tympanometric measurements. The displacements and volume changes calculated from the model are compared with available experimental data.
authors.affiliation: Department of BioMedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal H3A 2B4, Canada.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Hengjin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Justyn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lutfy
authors.forename: W Robert J
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Funnell
authors.forename: Sam J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Daniel
mesh_terms: D002356:Cartilage / Q000502:physiology; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004548:Elasticity; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008954:Models, Biological; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed