Intracochlear Pressures in Simulated Otitis Media With Effusion: A Temporal Bone Study

Abstract

Simulating effusion leads to a frequency-dependent reduction in intracochlear sound pressure levels consistent with audiological presentation and prior reports. Results reveal that intracochlear pressure measurements (PSV and PST) decrease less than expected, and less than the decrease in PDiff. The observed decrease in umbo velocity is greater than in the differential intracochlear pressures, suggesting that umbo velocity overestimates the induced conductive hearing loss. These results suggest that an alternate sound conduction pathway transmits sound to the inner ear during effusion.

Methods and reference data for middle ear transfer functions

“…Only freshly frozen TBs were used. The collected data from this group 17 , 18 will be denoted as “Colorado”. Because the point of measurement is different, we label this data as method “D”.…”