A lumped parameter mechanical model of tensor tympani muscle contraction of the middle ear

The role of the tensor tympani (TT) muscle of the middle ear is not well understood, and there is a long history of the implied, but unproven, part it plays in various inner ear disorders, particularly Meniere's disease. In order to gain an improved understanding of the effect of TT contraction, a lumped parameter mechanical model of the middle ear including the TT has been developed. This model uses a previously developed lumped parameter model of the middle ear ossicular chain along with experimentally obtained viscoelastic material model for the TT in order to predict the changes in the acoustic admittance of the middle ear experienced when the TT is contracted. While some of the general trends of the results of the computer model agree reasonable well to similar laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) measurements from various cadaveric temporal bones where TT contraction has been simulated using force loading, the experimental results show features that are not captured by the simulation.