Middle ear frequency response analysis for tinnitus identification

Abstract

An electrical model of the human middle ear periphery is described in this work. It is used to observe more closely the potential effect of the most common pathologies affecting the middle ear on tinnitus generation. Each pathology is related to a change in the physical characteristics of the middle ear. The studied analog network is modified to take this change into consideration. Thus, the corresponding numerical values of its elements are borrowed from anatomical data, the nonlinearity due to the contraction of stapedius muscle and the stapes clipping displacement have also been taken into consideration. The simulated pathologies demonstrate, through the obtained frequency responses, the effect sound transmission. The proposed analysis allowed us to distinguish the potential alterations in the middle ear that can eventually causes tinnitus. This method is based on the frequency response analysis tools to discover and identify easily the middle ear behavior and subsequently an eventual tinnitus cause.