On the effects of incudostapedial joint flexibility in a finite-element model of the cat middle ear

Abstract

An existing finite-element model of the cat middle ear was modified to include a shell representation of the incudostapedial joint. Joint stiffness was varied from very small to very large and the results show that both out-of-plane and in-plane displacements become smaller as the joint becomes more flexible. In-plane rotations remain significant at all stiffness values and tilting varies considerably in magnitude and direction as a function of stiffness.