Immittance Battery Flashcards
Who was Otto Metz? (3)
Otto Metz was a Jewish German doctor
wanted to distinguish sensorineural from conductive loss (tuning forks still popular!)
began reading about sound absorption in constructing materials
What did Otto Metz publish?
He published the basic principles of immittance audiometry in 1946.
5 years later, he published the first work on acoustic reflexes
What does Tympanometry provide us? (2)
rich information about the middle ear
easy to obtain
What is the use of AR measuring? (3)
- rich information about the auditory and facial nerves and lower brainstem
- some information about hearing
- just as easy to obtain
What are findings of Otto Metz’s legacy? (3)
learning about something by it’s impedance to sound
the ossicular chain is connected
this is a powerful tool for studying the middle ear
What is acoustic impedance?
Acoustic impedance is the degree to which sound energy is NOT absorbed.
ex: a good paper towel absorbs moisture well i.e., low impedance
if I covered a paper towel in butter, impedance would increase!
What absorbs more sound?
Carpeting or hardwood floor?
Small room or large room?
Carpeting
Large room
How does impedance relate to the middle ear? (2)
The sound is absorbed from the ear canal into the ossicular chain when acoustic energy sets the ossicular chain in motion
low impedance means that the ossicles move well with the sound
Does low impedance mean better hearing?
What are the three components of acoustic impedance?
mass, stiffness and resistance (no relation to impedance)
What would increase any of these 3 components do to impedance (intuitively speaking)?
What would increase any of these 3 components do to impedance (intuitively speaking)?
Increase mass results in the loss of high frequencies
Increase stiffness results in the loss of low frequencies
What is resistance?
R is resistance — friction in this example
loss of energy that is not dependent on frequency (fairly minimal in the middle ear system)
so we are mainly looking at the effects of mass and stiffness
the mass and stiffness effects are both called “Reactance”
What is reactance?
the mass and stiffness effects are both called “Reactance”
Low reactance means that it doesn’t move well with the sound
As mass reactance increases, frequency ___________________
Mass reactance increases as frequency go up
Explain Mass Reactance: (4)
mass reactance increases as frequency goes up
it’s difficult to move large things back and forth quickly
think of how long it takes to accelerate or decelerate a tractor trailer
this is an acceleration issue
high mass interferes with high frequencies (more reactance and thus more impedance)
high mass moves better at low frequencies (less reactance and thus less impedance)
Explain Stifness Reactance: (4)
stiffness reactance decreases as frequency goes up
something stiff will want to return to its resting position faster
faster = higher frequency
high stiffness interferes with low frequencies (more reactance and thus more impedance)
highly stiff systems move better at high frequencies (less reactance and thus less impedance)
What does this graph show? (3)
mass reactance and stiffness reactance are inversely related to frequency:
increasing frequency will increase mass reactance (Xm) and decrease stiffness reactance (Xs)
decreasing frequency will decrease mass reactance (Xm) and increase stiffness reactance (Xs)
these are in opposite directions so the sum determines total reactance (Xm–Xs)
How do we find the total impedance?
the hypotenuse is the square root of the sum of the squares (Pythagoras)
What are the effects of mass and stiffness in the ME system? (2)
- the effects of stiffness and mass are perfectly balanced at around 800–1200 Hz — the resonant frequency of the middle ear
- this is a fairly high frequency resonant peak! This is because the middle ear has low mass and high stiffness. It’s small and stiff!
What is important from changes in impedance to the ME?
Changes in middle ear impedance are primarily changes in its stiffness
Why aren’t higher frequencies not transmitted as well? (3)
Higher frequencies are not transmitted as well because the system has some mass (although only a small amount)
mass of the ossicles and tympanic membrane
And because it’s not even stiffer than it is
You could improve its high freq response by reducing mass or making it stiffer
Why aren’t lower frequencies not transmitted as well? (2)
lower frequencies are not transmitted as well because of the high stiffness of the system (and because it has low mass)
- stiffness of tympanic membrane
- stiffness of ossicular chain (with ligaments)
you could improve low frequency response by making it less stiff
What is impedance measured at clinically?
Measured at 226 Hz, where the mass of the ossicular chain is neglible (so changes in impedance here are mostly due to changes in stiffness)