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At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

A translation of: The scientific progress of otology in the past decennium (until late 1862) by Hermann Schwartze: pathology and therapy of the external ear.

In 1863, Anton von Tröltsch, Adam Politzer, and Hermann Schwartze began the first journal dedicated solely to disorders of the ear, Archiv für Ohrenheilkund (Archives of Otology). In the inaugural edition, Hermann Schwartze, the youngest of the three, took on the responsibility for summarizing all the prevailing advances in otology recorded in the previous 10 years leading up to its publication. This work represents a concise summary of all major advances and theories regarding diseases of the ear circa 1863, providing a valuable window on the practice of otology during its inception as an independent subspecialty. In this first of an anticipated two-part article, we provide a translation of what is perhaps the most interesting portion: pathology and therapy of the outer ear and middle ears. The second part of the manuscript will translate the pathology and treatment of inner ear disorders. It is hoped that this work will spark contemporary otologists not only to reflect how far we have come as a subspecialty but also to reflect what we still must accomplish as physicians and scientists.

Ear Canal↗
PubMed2003

A morphometric study of the external ear: age- and sex-related differences.

The human ear is a defining feature of the face. Its subtle structures convey signs of age and sex that are unmistakable yet not easily defined. With analysis of normative cross-sectional data, this study explored anatomic and aesthetic differences in the ear between men and women, as well as changes in ear morphology with age. A total of 123 volunteers were randomly selected for this study. The cohort consisted of 89 women ages 19 to 65 years (median age, 42 years) and 34 men ages 18 to 61 years (median age, 35 years). The average total ear height across the entire cohort for both left and right ears was 6.30 cm, average lobular height was 1.88 cm, and average lobular width was 1.96 cm. As expected based on head size, significant sex-related differences were noted in the distance from the lateral palpebral commissure to both the helical root and insertion of the lobule. Measured distances in both vectors were approximately 4.6 percent longer in men than in women. Similarly, the height of the pinna was significantly larger in men than in women by approximately 6.5 percent. The average height and width of the lobule, however, were nearly identical in men and women. Analysis of age-related data showed a significant difference in the total ear height between the subpopulations; however, this difference was not significant after the lobular height was subtracted from total ear height, suggesting that the lobule was the only ear structure that changed significantly with age. In addition, lobular width decreased significantly with age. This study establishes normative data for ear morphology and clearly demonstrates the changes in earlobe morphology that occur with advancing age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Modeling individual differences in ferret external ear transfer functions.

Individual variations in head and outer ear size, as well as growth of these structures during development, can markedly alter the values of the binaural and monaural cues which form the basis for auditory localization. This study investigated individual differences in the directional component of the head-related transfer function of both adult and juvenile ferrets. In line with previous studies in humans and cats, intersubject spectral differences were found to be reduced by scaling one of the directional transfer functions on a log-frequency axis. The optimal scale factor correlated most highly with pinna cavity height. Optimal frequency scaling reduced interear spectral difference equally well for adult-juvenile comparisons as for comparisons between pairs of adult ears. This illustrates that the developmental changes in localization cue values should be at least partly predictable on the basis of the expected growth rate of the outer ear structures. Predictions of interaural time differences (ITDs) were also derived from the physical dimensions of the head. ITDs were found to be poorly fitted by the spherical head model, while much better predictions could be derived from a model based on von Mises spherical basis functions. Together, these findings show how more accurate estimates of spatial cue values can be made from knowledge of the dimensions of the head and outer ears, and may facilitate the generation of virtual acoustic space stimuli in the absence of acoustical measurements from individual subjects.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

Reducing individual differences in the external-ear transfer functions of the Mongolian gerbil.

This study examines individual differences in the directional transfer functions (DTFs), the directional components of head-related transfer functions of gerbils, and seeks a method for reducing these differences. The difference between the DTFs of a given animal pair was quantified by the intersubject spectral difference (ISSD), which is the variance in the difference spectra of DTFs for frequencies between 5 and 45 kHz and for 361 source directions. An attempt was made to reduce the ISSD by scaling the DTFs of one animal in frequency and/or rotating the DTFs along the source coordinate sphere. The ISSD was reduced by a median of 12% after optimal frequency scaling alone, by a median of 19% after optimal spatial rotation alone, and by a median of 36% after simultaneous frequency scaling and spatial rotation. The optimal scaling factor (OSF) and the optimal coordinate rotation (OCR) correlated strongly with differences in head width and pinna angles (i.e., pinna inclination around the vertical and front-back axes), respectively. Thus, linear equations were derived to estimate the OSF and OCR from these anatomical measurements. The ISSD could be reduced by a median of 22% based on the estimated OSF and OCR.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1990

Direction-dependent spectral properties of cat external ear: new data and cross-species comparisons.

Free-field to eardrum transfer functions were measured in anesthetized cats inside an anechoic chamber. Direction-dependent transformations were determined by measurement of sound-pressure levels using a small probe tube microphone surgically implanted in a ventral position near the tympanic membrane. Loudspeaker and probe microphone characteristics were eliminated by subtraction of the signal recorded in the free field with no animal present. Complexities of the transfer function, which include the presence of prominent spectral notches in the 8- to 18-kHz frequency region, are due primarily to the acoustical properties of the pinna. Differential amplification of frequency components within the broadband stimulus occurs as a function of source direction. Spectral features vary systematically with changes in both elevation (EL) and azimuth (AZ). The contrast between a notch and its shoulders is enhanced in the interaural spectral records. Spectral data from single source locations and spatial data for single frequencies at many locations are presented and comparisons with other species are drawn. It is suggested that spectral features in the 8- to 18-kHz region provide some of the necessary spectral information for sound localization and that the contrast in spectral energy between the frequencies at the notch and its shoulders is a potential directional cue.

Acoustic Stimulation↗