Differential Intracochlear Sound Pressure Measurements in Human Temporal Bones with an Off-the-Shelf Sensor.
The standard method to determine the output level of acoustic and mechanical stimulation to the inner ear is measurement of vibration response of the stapes in human cadaveric temporal bones (TBs) by laser Doppler vibrometry. However, this method is reliable only if the intact ossicular chain is stimulated. For other stimulation modes an alternative method is needed. The differential intracochlear sound pressure between scala vestibuli (SV) and scala tympani (ST) is assumed to correlate with excitation. Using a custom-made pressure sensor it has been successfully measured and used to determine the output level of acoustic and mechanical stimulation. To make this method generally accessible, an off-the-shelf pressure sensor (Samba Preclin 420 LP, Samba Sensors) was tested here for intracochlear sound pressure measurements. During acoustic stimulation, intracochlear sound pressures were simultaneously measurable in SV and ST between 0.1 and 8 kHz with sufficient signal-to-noise ratios with this sensor. The pressure differences were comparable to results obtained with custom-made sensors. Our results demonstrated that the pressure sensor Samba Preclin 420 LP is usable for measurements of intracochlear sound pressures in SV and ST and for the determination of differential intracochlear sound pressures.
Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Germany; Department of Otolaryngology and Institute of Audioneurotechnology (VIANNA), Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Martin
0000-0002-5720-0981
M
Grossöhmichen
Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Germany; Department of Otolaryngology and Institute of Audioneurotechnology (VIANNA), Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Rolf
R
Salcher
Department of Legal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 22529 Hamburg, Germany.
Klaus
K
Püschel
Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Germany; Department of Otolaryngology and Institute of Audioneurotechnology (VIANNA), Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Thomas
T
Lenarz
Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Germany; Department of Otolaryngology and Institute of Audioneurotechnology (VIANNA), Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Hannes
H
Maier
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation; D001844:Bone Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D002102:Cadaver; D003939:Diagnostic Techniques, Otological / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008365:Manometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013018:Sound Spectrography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000502:physiology*; D014160:Transducers, Pressure