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Calculation of
inertial properties of the malleus-incus complex from
micro-CT imaging
Jae Hoon Sim, Sunil Puria and Charles R. Steele |
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Vol. 2 (2007), No. 8, 1515–1524
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Abstract |
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The middle ear bones are the smallest bones in the human body and are among the most complicated functionally. These bones are located within the temporal bone making them difficult to access and study. We use the micro-CT imaging modality to obtain quantitative inertial properties of the MIC (malleus-incus complex), which is a subcomponent of the middle ear. The principal moment of inertia of the malleus along the superior-inferior axis (mg/mm) is lower by about a factor of six in comparison to the anterior-posterior and lateral-medial axes. For the incus, the principal moment of inertia along the superior-inferior axis (mg/mm) is lower by about a factor of two than for the other two axes. With the two bones combined (MIC), the minimum principal moment of inertia (mg/mm) is still along the superior-inferior axis but is higher than for the individual bones. The superior-inferior axis inertia is lower by a factor of 1.3 than along the anterior-posterior axis and is lower by a factor 2 along the lateral-medial axis. Values for inertia of the MIC show significant individual differences in three human ears measured, suggesting that middle ear models should be based on individual anatomy. Imaging by micro-CT scanner is a nondestructive modality that provides three-dimensional volume information about middle ear bones at each stage of manipulation with resolution down to m. In this work extraneous tissue is removed to obtain a sufficiently small specimen. However, advances in imaging hold promise that this capability will be available for in vivo measurements. |
Keywords
inertial properties, principal axes, ossicles,
malleus-incus complex (MIC), middle ear, computed
tomography (CT)
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Milestones
Received: 18 July 2006
Revised: 29 March 2007
Accepted: 20 April 2007
Published: 1 October 2007
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Authors |
| Jae Hoon Sim | ||
| Mechanics and Computation
Division Department of Mechanical Engineering Stanford University 496 Lomita Mall Durand Building Stanford, CA 94305-4035 United States |
Palo Alto Veterans
Administration 3801 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 United States |
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| Sunil Puria | ||
| Mechanics and Computation
Division Department of Mechanical Engineering Stanford University 496 Lomita Mall Durand Building Stanford, CA 94305-4035 United States |
Department of Otolaryngology —Head
and Neck Surgery Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305 United States |
Palo Alto Veterans
Administration 3801 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 United States |
| Charles R. Steele | ||
| Mechanics and Computation
Division Stanford University 496 Lomita Mall Durand Building Stanford, CA 94305-4035 United States |
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