Abstract
Eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction has been implicated in the development of chronic otitis media, a common childhood disorder. An impaired ability to open the collapsible ET results in fluid accumulation in the middle ear and subsequent infection and inflamation. Abnormal ET function has been casually related to an abnormal mechanical environment. Previous attempts to quantify ET mechanics used summary measures that are not clearly related to the physical properties of the system. In this study, we modified a testing technique to obtain pressure and flow rate measurements in the ET and analyzed these data with a simple model of airflow in a collapsible tube. This model is based on fully developed flow in a noncircular duct and a nonlinear, time-dependent pressure–area relationship. The ability of this model to capture the observed pressure–flow phenomena was demonstrated in 12 cynomolgus monkeys. Correlation between model and experimental data resulted in quantitative estimates of ET compliance and wall viscosity. This technique, which can be implemented in a clinical setting, provides a more accurate description of ET mechanics and may, therefore, prove to be an important diagnostic tool. Future studies will use this technique to quantify the influence of various physiological parameters on ET mechanics. © 2002 Biomedical Engineering Society.
PAC2002: 8719Rr, 8719Xx
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
REFERENCES
Anderson, J. D. Basic aspects of discretization. In: Computational Fluid Dynamics: The Basics with Applications, edited by J. J. Corrigan and E. Castellano. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995, pp. 125-167.
Barnea, O., and G. Gillon. Model-based estimation of male urethral resistance and elasticity using pressure-flow data. Comput. Biol. Med. 31:27-40, 2001.
Bassez, S., P. Flaud, and M. Chauveau. Modeling of the deformation of flexible tubes using a single law: Application to veins of the lower limb in man. J. Biomech. Eng. 123:58-65, 2001.
Bertram, C. D., C. J. Raymond, and K. S. Butcher. Oscillations in a collapsed-tube analog of the brachial artery under a sphygmomanometer cuff. J. Biomech. Eng. 111:185-191, 1989.
Bluestone, C. D., and J. O. Klein. Physiology, pathophysiology, and pathogenesis. In: Otitis Media in Infants and Children, edited by S. S. Donley. Philadelphia: Saunders, 2001.
Bluestone, C. D., S. E. Stool, and M. A. Kenna. Otitis media, atelectasis, and eustachian tube dysfunction. In: Pediatric Otolaryngology, edited by C. D. Bluestone and J. O. Klein. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1996, pp. 388-582.
Cantekin, E. I., W. J. Doyle, and C. D. Bluestone. Comparison of normal eustachian tube function in the rhesus monkey and man. Ann. Otol. Rhinol. Laryngol. 91:179-184, 1982.
Cantekin, E. I., C. A. Saez, C. D. Bluestone, and S. A. Bern. Airflow through the eustachian tube. Ann. Otol. Rhinol. Laryngol. 88:603-612, 1979.
Drzewiecki, G., and J. J. Pilla. Noninvasive measurement of the human brachial artery pressure-area relation in collapse and hypertension. Ann. Biomed. Eng. 26:965-974, 1998.
Elad, D., M. Sahar, J. M. Avidor, and S. Einav. Steady flow through collapsible tubes-Measurements of flow and geometry. J. Biomech. Eng. 114:84-91, 1992.
Gaver, D. P., D. Halpern, O. E. Jensen, and J. B. Grotberg. The steady motion of a semi-infinite bubble through a flexible-walled channel. J. Fluid Mech. 319:25-65, 1996.
Ghadiali, S., W. J. Federspiel, J. D. Swarts, and W. J. Doyle. Measurement of the viscoelastic compliance of the eustachian tube using a modified force-response test. Auris Nasus Larynx 29:1-5, 2002.
Heil, M. Airway closure: Occluding liquid bridges in strongly buckled elastic tubes. J. Biomech. Eng. 121:487-493, 1999.
Heil, M. Stokes flow in an elastic tube-A largedisplacement fluid-structure interaction problem. Int. J. Numer. Methods Fluids 28:243-265, 1998.
Kaneko, A., T. Doi, Y. Hosoda, T. Iwano, and T. Yamashita. Direct measurement of eustachian tube compliance. Acta Oto-Laryngol. 116:594-598, 1996.
Kaneko, A., Y. Hosoda, T. Doi, N. Tada, T. Iwano, and T. Yamashita. Tubal compliance-Changes with age and in tubal malfunction. Auris Nasus Larynx 28:121-124, 2001.
Lecamwasam, H. S., M. P. Sullivan, S. V. Yalla, and E. G. Cravalho. The flow regimes and the pressure-flow relationship in the canine urethra. Neurourol. Urodyn. 18:521-541, 1999.
Liu, B. Y., and D. L. Tang. A numerical simulation of viscous flows in collapsible tubes with stenoses. Appl. Numer. Math. 32:87-101, 2000.
Luo, X. Y., and T. J. Pedley. Multiple solutions and flow limitation in collapsible channel flows. J. Fluid Mech. 420:301-324, 2000.
Matsuzaki, Y., T. Ikeda, T. Kitagawa, and S. Sakata. Analysis of flow in a two-dimensional collapsible channel using universal tube law. J. Biomech. Eng. 116:469-476, 1994.
Miura, M., H. Takahashi, I. Honjo, S. Hasebe, and M. Tanabe. Influence of the upper respiratory tract infection on tubal compliance in children with otitis media with effusion. Acta Oto-Laryngol. 117:574-577, 1997.
Miura, M., H. Takahashi, T. Sugimaru, and I. Honjo. Influence of surface condition of mucosa of eustachian tube on tubal compliance. Acta Oto-Laryngol. 116:840-844, 1996.
Pedley, T. J., and X. Y. Luo. Modeling flow and oscillations in collapsible tubes. Theor. Comput. Fluid Dyn. 10:277-294, 1998.
Sakakihara, J., I. Honjo, A. Fujita, K. Kurata, and H. Takahashi. Compliance of the patulous eustachian tube. Ann. Otol. Rhinol. Laryngol. 102:110-112, 1993.
Sakakihara, J., I. Honjo, A. Fujita, K. Kurata, and H. Takahashi. Eustachian tube compliance in sniff-induced otitis media with effusion. A preliminary study. Acta Oto-Laryngol. 113:187-190, 1993.
Schappert, S. M. Office visits for otitis media, United States 1975-1990. Vital and Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control/National Center for Health Statistics. 214, 1992.
Suzuki, C., C. Balaban, I. Sando, M. Sudo, T. Ganbo, and M. Kitagawa. Postnatal development of Eustachian tube: A computer-aided 3D reconstruction and measurement study. Acta Oto-Laryngol. 118:837-843, 1998.
Swarts, J. D., and S. R. Rood. The morphometry and threedimensional structure of the adult eustachian tube: Implications for function. Cleft Palate J. 27:374-381, 1990.
Takahashi, H., M. Hayashi, and I. Honjo. Compliance of the eustachian tube in patients with otitis media with effusion. Am. J. Otolaryngol. 8:154-156, 1987.
Takahashi, H., I. Honjo, and A. Fujita. Eustachian tube compliance in cleft palate-A preliminary study. Laryngoscope 104:83-86, 1994.
Tang, D., J. Yang, C. Yang, and D. N. Ku. A nonlinear axisymmetric model with fluid-wall interactions for steady viscous flow in stenotic elastic tubes. J. Biomech. Eng. 121:494-501, 1999.
Teele, D. W., J. O. Klein, and B. Rosner. Epidemiology of otitis media during the first seven years of life in children in greater Boston: A prospective, cohort study. J. Infect. Dis. 160:83-94, 1989.
Visual Numerics Inc. IMSL Fortran 90 MP Library. Houston, TX, 1997.
White, F. M. Viscous flow in ducts. In: Fluid Mechanics, edited by J. J. Corrigan and D. A. Damstra. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ghadiali, S.N., Swarts, J.D. & Federspiel, W.J. Model-Based Evaluation of Eustachian Tube Mechanical Properties Using Continuous Pressure–Flow Rate Data. Annals of Biomedical Engineering 30, 1064–1076 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1114/1.1509764
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1114/1.1509764