Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

In Situ NANO-Indentation of Round Window Membrane

  • Conference paper
Mechanics of Biological Systems and Materials, Volume 6

Abstract

The round window membrane (RWM) is the terminal boundary between the fluid-filled inner ear and air-filled middle ear where the sound wave is released from the inner ear after exciting the neuronal sound transducers in the basilar membrane. For the treatment of inner ear diseases, the RWM is an attractive entrance to introduce therapeutic reagents by producing micro-scale perforations. Therefore, the mechanical properties of this collagen-fiber-reinforced membrane are critical in understanding the functional role in hearing and engineering a device for drug delivery.

In this study, NANO-indentation was performed to determining the rupture criteria of freshly harvested RWMs of guinea pigs in situ. Tungsten probe tips with 20 and 5 curvature radius and 2 mm length were used to obtain load-displacement curves until rupture. As the tip size decrease, the rupture force decreased approximately from 5 to 0.3 mN. The Young’s modulus of the membrane during the deformation and the stresses within the membrane at the rupture were analyzed inversely via finite element modeling. Biological variation of the mechanical properties was shown. These findings facilitate modeling of sound propagation within the inner ear in a normal condition and with a prosthetic device and developing micro-needles for drug delivery.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Cheng, T., Gan, R.Z.: Experimental measurement and modeling analysis on mechanical properties of tensor tympani tendon. Med. Eng. Phys. 30(3), 358–366 (2008)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  2. Ishii, T., Takayama, M., Takahashi, Y.: Mechanical properties of human round window, basilar and Reissner’s membranes. Acta Otolaryngol. Suppl. 519, 78–82 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Mirza, S., Richardson, H.: Otic barotrauma from air travel. J. Laryngol. Otol. 119(5), 366–370 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Gutovitz, S., et al.: Middle ear pressure and symptoms after skydiving. Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 79(5), 533–536 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Yu, V.M., Strykowski, P.J., Odland, R.M.: A preliminary theoretical model of hydrodynamics in the inner ear. Ear Nose Throat J. 89(4), 164–168 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Gan, R.Z., Nakmali, D., Zhang, X.: Dynamic properties of round window membrane in guinea pig otitis media model measured with electromagnetic stimulation. Hear. Res. 301, 125–136 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Zhang, X., Gan, R.Z.: Dynamic properties of human round window membrane in auditory frequencies running head: dynamic properties of round window membrane. Med. Eng. Phys. 35(3), 310–318 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Tringali, S., et al.: Intraoperative adjustments to optimize active middle ear implant performance. Acta Otolaryngol. 131(1), 27–35 (2011)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  9. Yoda, S., et al.: Round window membrane in Meniere’s disease: a human temporal bone study. Otol. Neurotol. 32(1), 147–151 (2011)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  10. Yoon, Y.J., Hellstrom, S.: Ultrastructural characteristics of the round window membrane during pneumococcal otitis media in rat. J. Korean Med. Sci. 17(2), 230–235 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Yoshida, M., Uemura, T.: Transmission of cerebrospinal fluid pressure changes to the inner ear and its effect on cochlear microphonics. Eur. Arch. Otorhinolaryngol. 248(3), 139–143 (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Aernouts, J., Aerts, J.R., Dirckx, J.J.: Mechanical properties of human tympanic membrane in the quasi-static regime from in situ point indentation measurements. Hear. Res. 290(1–2), 45–54 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Aernouts, J., Soons, J.A., Dirckx, J.J.: Quantification of tympanic membrane elasticity parameters from in situ point indentation measurements: validation and preliminary study. Hear. Res. 263(1–2), 177–182 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Daphalapurkar, N.P., et al.: Characterization of the linearly viscoelastic behavior of human tympanic membrane by nanoindentation. J. Mech. Behav. Biomed. Mater. 2(1), 82–92 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Fay, J., et al.: Three approaches for estimating the elastic modulus of the tympanic membrane. J. Biomech. 38(9), 1807–1815 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Volandri, G., et al.: Biomechanics of the tympanic membrane. J. Biomech. 44(7), 1219–1236 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Zhang, X., Gan, R.Z.: Dynamic properties of human tympanic membrane based on frequency-temperature superposition. Ann. Biomed. Eng. 41(1), 205–214 (2013)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  18. Lim, K.M., Steele, C.R.: A three-dimensional nonlinear active cochlear model analyzed by the WKB-numeric method. Hear. Res. 170(1–2), 190–205 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Kendall, M.A., Chong, Y.F., Cock, A.: The mechanical properties of the skin epidermis in relation to targeted gene and drug delivery. Biomaterials 28(33), 4968–4977 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Decraemer, W.F., Dirckx, J.J.J., Funnell, W.R.J.: Shape and derived geometrical parameters of the adult, human tympanic membrane measured with a phase-shift moiré interferometer. Hear. Res. 51(1), 107–121 (1991)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Ghiz, A.F., et al.: Quantitative anatomy of the round window and cochlear aqueduct in guinea pigs. Hear. Res. 162(1–2), 105–112 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Watanabe, H., Kysar, J.W., Lalwani, A.K.: Microanatomic analysis of the round window membrane by white light interferometry and microcomputed tomography for mechanical amplification. Otol. Neurotol. 35(4), 672–678 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Bhatia, N.M., Nachbar, W.: Finite indentation of an elastic membrane by a spherical indenter. Int. J. Non Linear Mech. 3(3), 307–324 (1968)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Tizian Bucher, current graduate student in Mechanical Engineering Lab at the Columbia University for his technical assistance in preparing experimental set ups.. The authors also thank Elizabeth S. Olson Ph.D, at the Department of Biomedical engineering and Auditory Biophysics for generous support in animal studies, Elon J. Terrell Ph.D., at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Columbia University and Luis Cardoso Ph.D at the City University of New York. This work was supported by Coulter Translational Research Partnerships and American Otological Society grants.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Columbia University School of Engineering, 220 Mudd, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY, 10020, USA

    Hirobumi Watanabe Ph.D. & Jeffrey W. Kysar Ph.D.

  2. Columbia University Medical Center, 180 Fort Washington Avenue, Harkness Pavilion Bldg., 8th Floor, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Anil K. Lalwani M.D.

Authors
  1. Hirobumi Watanabe Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anil K. Lalwani M.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jeffrey W. Kysar Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hirobumi Watanabe Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA

    Srinivasan Arjun Tekalur

  2. Purdue University, WEST LAFAYETTE, USA

    Pablo Zavattieri

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, State Univ of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, USA

    Chad S Korach

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 The Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc.

About this paper

Cite this paper

Watanabe, H., Lalwani, A.K., Kysar, J.W. (2016). In Situ NANO-Indentation of Round Window Membrane. In: Tekalur, S., Zavattieri, P., Korach, C. (eds) Mechanics of Biological Systems and Materials, Volume 6. Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21455-9_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21455-9_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-21454-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-21455-9

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation