Page 330 - IJB-10-3

International

Journal of Bioprinting

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Frequency response analysis and in vitro

verification of 3D-printed ossicular
replacement materials

Jingbin Hao *, Yin Zhu , Ding Shen , Md Thowfiqure Rahman , Yinxin Kou , and
1
1,2
1
1
1
Houguang Liu 1,2
1 School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology,
Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
2 Jiangsu Engineering Technology Research Centre on Intelligent Equipment for Fully Mining and
Excavating, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China

Abstract

As a bridge that transmits airborne sound signals to the auditory receptors of the
inner ear, the eardrum and ossicular chain of the middle ear convert sound through
two types of conversions: gas–solid (airborne sound signal–eardrum and ossicular
chain) and solid–liquid (eardrum and ossicular chain–internal and external lymphatic
fluid in the cochlea). This process concentrates and amplifies the sound to the inner
ear through the lever principle structure formed by the three ossicles. However,
diseases, hereditary factors, or trauma can reduce the sound transmission function
of the middle ear. The effectiveness of middle ear replacement prostheses depends
on their vibration response to the human auditory perception frequency, from the
eardrum to the stapes plate. This response is influenced by the materials, geometry,
*Corresponding author: and design of the replacement prosthesis and eardrum. This study explores the effects
Jingbin Hao
(jingbinhao@cumt.edu.cn) of different materials on hearing after artificial ossicular replacement. Usually, human
temporal bone models are used for testing and validating numerical results. However,
Citation: Hao J, Zhu Y, Shen D, obtaining specimens from living humans is not always feasible. Therefore, we used
Rahman MT, Kou Y, Liu H.
Frequency response analysis and three-dimensional printing technology to build a model of the middle ear to test
in vitro verification of 3D-printed the ossicular bone. Titanium alloy TC4, stainless steel 316L, and composite HA/PCL
ossicular replacement materials. are chosen as materials for ossicular replacement. Using finite element analysis and
Int J Bioprint. 2024;10(3):2040.
doi: 10.36922/ijb.2040 an in vitro verification experiment, individual replacements of the ossicles and three
bone material replacements were conducted for frequency response analysis. The
Received: October 14, 2023
Accepted: December 14, 2023 combination of the malleus made of TC4, the incus made of TC4, and the stapes made
Published Online: February 5, 2024 of HA/PCL were found to bear higher resemblance to a real normal ear ossicular model.
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the Keywords: Ossicular replacement materials; 3D printing; frequency response
Creative Commons Attribution analysis; Finite element modeling; In vitro verification experiment
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited.
1. Introduction
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with The ossicular chain plays a crucial role in facilitating normal hearing, and any
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional deformity in this chain can lead to conductive deafness. Chronic suppurative otitis
affiliations. media often results in varying degrees of hearing loss, along with damage and loss of

Volume 10 Issue 3 (2024) 322 doi: 10.36922/ijb.2040