Simulation of the Basilar Membrane Vibration of Endolymphatic hydrops

Abstract

Endolymphatic hydrops (EH) causes fluctuating hearing loss especially at low frequencies. In this paper, we analyze EH with the human cochlear finite element model which includes activity of the outer hair cells (OHC). EH was simulated by loading static pressure on the surface of the basilar membrane (BM) of the cochlear model. The vibrations of the BM in the EH model were calculated by applying sound pressure to the stapes, and the results were compared with those in the normal cochlea model. As a result, the distribution of characteristic frequency (CF) was changed and the displacement of the BM was decreased by loading static pressure to the BM. This suggests that the mechanism of hearing loss was caused by EH.