Effect of Middle-Ear Pathology on High-Frequency Ear Canal Reflectance Measurements in the Frequency and Time Domains

The effects of middle-ear pathology on wideband acoustic immittance and reflectance at frequencies above 6–8 kHz have not been documented, nor has the effect of such pathologies on the time-domain reflectance. We describe an approach that utilizes sound frequencies as high as 20 kHz and quantifies reflectance in both the frequency and time domains. Experiments were performed with fresh normal human temporal bones before and after simulating various middle-ear pathologies, including malleus fixation, stapes fixation, and disarticulation. In addition to experimental data, computational modeling was used to obtain fitted parameter values of middle-ear elements that vary systematically due to the simulated pathologies and thus may have diagnostic implications. Our results demonstrate that the time-domain reflectance, which requires acoustic measurements at high frequencies, varies with middle-ear condition. Furthermore, the extended bandwidth frequency-domain reflectance data was used to estimate parameters in a simple model of the ear canal and middle ear that separates three major conductive pathologies from each other and from the normal state.