Abstract
In order to treat secretory otitis media (SOM), numerous types of ventilation tube have been used. The ventilation tubes were designed with the aim of long-term ventilation of the middle ear. However, there are few studies which investigate the effect of tube insertion on the transmission characteristics of the middle ear.
In this study, three-dimensional finite-element method (FEM) model of a human middle ear is established by applying the FEM program developed by our group. Then, the effects of the materials and the site of placement of the ventilation tube on the transmission characteristics of the middle ear are analyzed. The following conclusions were obtained: (1) Low density materials such as silicone are suitable for ventilation tube. (2) When a light-weighed ventilation tube is used, the effect of the site of placement is small. When a relative heavy ventilation tube is used, the best site of placement is the antero-inferior quadrano.
