BACKGROUND: There are different ways to analyze energy absorbance (EA) in the human auditory system. In previous
research, we developed a complete finite element model (FEM) of the human auditory system.
OBJECTIVE: In this current work, the external auditory canal (EAC), middle ear, and inner ear (spiral cochlea, vestibule, and
semi-circular canals) were modelled based on human temporal bone histological sections.
METHODS: Multiple acoustic, structure, and fluid-coupled analyses were conducted using the FEM to perform harmonic
analyses in the 0.1–10 kHz range. Once the FEM had been validated with published experimental data, its numerical results were
used to calculate the EA or energy reflected (ER) by the tympanic membrane. This EA was also measured in clinical audiology
tests which were used as a diagnostic parameter.
RESULTS: A mathematical approach was developed to calculate the EA and ER, with numerical and experimental results
showing adequate correlation up to 1 kHz. Another published FEM had adapted its boundary conditions to replicate experimental
results. Here, we recalculated those numerical results by applying the natural boundary conditions of human hearing and found
that the results almost totally agreed with our FEM.
CONCLUSION: This boundary problem is frequent and problematic in experimental hearing test protocols: the more invasive
they are, the more the results are affected. One of the main objectives of using FEMs is to explore how the experimental test
conditions influence the results. Further work will still be required to uncover the relationship between middle ear structures and
EA to clarify how to best use FEMs. Moreover, the FEM boundary conditions must be more representative in future work to
ensure their adequate interpretation
