Publication
Title
De novo topology optimization of total ossicular replacement prostheses
Author
Abstract
Conductive hearing loss, due to middle ear pathologies or traumas, affects more than 5% of the population worldwide. Passive prostheses to replace the ossicular chain mainly rely on piston-like titanium and/or hydroxyapatite devices, which in the long term suffer from extrusion. Although the basic shape of such devices always consists of a base for contact with the eardrum and a stem to have mechanical connection with the residual bony structures, a plethora of topologies have been proposed, mainly to help surgical positioning. In this work, we optimize the topology of a total ossicular replacement prosthesis, by maximizing the global stiffness and under the smallest possible volume constraint that ensures material continuity. This investigation optimizes the prosthesis topology in response to static displacement loads with amplitudes that normally occur during sound stimulation in a frequency range between 100 Hz and 10 kHz. Following earlier studies, we discuss how the presence and arrangement of holes on the surface of the prosthesis plate in contact with the umbo affect the overall geometry. Finally, we validate the designs through a finite-element model, in which we assess the prosthesis performance upon dynamic sound pressure loads by considering four different constitutive materials: titanium, cortical bone, silk, and collagen/hydroxyapatite. The results show that the selected prostheses present, almost independently of their constitutive material, a vibroacustic behavior close to that of the native ossicular chain, with a slight almost constant positive shift that reaches a maximum of approximate to 5 dB close to 1 kHz. This work represents a reference for the development of a new generation of middle ear prostheses with non-conventional topologies for fabrication via additive manufacturing technologies or ultraprecision machining in order to create patient-specific devices to recover from conductive hearing loss.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials. - Place of publication unknown
Publication
Place of publication unknown : 2020
ISSN
1751-6161
DOI
10.1016/J.JMBBM.2019.103541
Volume/pages
103 (2020) , 7 p.
Article Reference
UNSP 103541
ISI
000517856400023
Pubmed ID
31786510
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Finite element modeling of the bird middle ear for the development of new human ossicular prostheses.
COLLHEAR: 3D printed COLLagen type I-Hydroxyapatite prostheses for the middle EAR
BOF Sabbatical 2019-2020 - Joris Dirckx.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 06.04.2020
Last edited 12.12.2024
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