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. 2023 May 11:11:1106371.
doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1106371. eCollection 2023.

Fluid-solid coupling model and biological features of large vestibular aqueduct syndrome

Zewen Chen  1 , Mengjie Luo  1 , Can Zhou  1 , Xu Bie  1 , Shen Yu  2 , Xiuzhen Sun  1
Affiliations

Fluid-solid coupling model and biological features of large vestibular aqueduct syndrome

Zewen Chen et al. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. .

Abstract

Objective: Computed tomography (CT) images of the temporal bone of large vestibular aqueduct syndrome (LVAS) patients were used to establish 3D numerical models based on the structure of the inner ear, which are, in turn, used to construct inner ear fluid-solid coupling models. The physiological features and pathophysiology of LVAS were analyzed from a biomechanical perspective using finite element analysis. Methods: CT images of the temporal bone were collected from five children attending the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University in 2022. The CT images were used to build 3D models of the inner ear containing the vestibular aqueduct (VA) by Mimics and Geomagic software, and round window membrane models and fluid-solid coupling models were built by ANSYS software to perform fluid-solid coupling analysis. Results: By applying different pressure loads, the deformation of the round window membranes occurred, and their trend was basically the same as that of the load. The deformation and stress of the round window membranes increased with the increase in load. Under the same load, the deformation and stress of the round window membranes increased with the expansion of the midpoint width of the VA. Conclusion: CT images of the temporal bone used clinically could establish a complete 3D numerical model of the inner ear containing VA. Fluctuations in cerebrospinal fluid pressure could affect inner ear pressure, and VA had a limiting effect on the pressure from cerebrospinal fluid. The larger the VA, the smaller the limiting effect on the pressure.

Keywords: biomechanics; fluid solid coupling; large vestibular aqueduct syndrome (LVAS); sensorineural deafness; vestibular aqueduct (VA).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
CT image of temporal bone with enlarged VA (arrows) (A,B), round window membrane model (C,D), 3D model of the inner ear (E), and inner ear model containing round window membrane model (round window membrane model is gray) (F).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
The deformation of the round window membrane when the element sizes of the inner ear model are set to different sizes (A); the deformation of the round window membrane when the element sizes of the round window membrane model are set to different sizes (B).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
(H) The displacement of the round window membrane of the normal inner ear under different pressure loads; (A–G) displacement of the round window membrane of the ears (A–G) under different pressure loads.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
(H) The stress of the round window membrane of the normal inner ear under different pressure loads; (A–G) the stress of the round window membrane of the ears (A–G) under different pressure loads.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Variation of deformations of round window membranes with widths of VA midpoints (300 KPa).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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