Background: Lesions causing changes in the microstructure of the organ of Corti may lead to hearing impairment.
Aims/objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of various structural lesions on the organ of Corti and the auditory function.
Methods: A finite element method of the cochlea and the organ of Corti were established based on computed tomography scanning and anatomical data. We evaluated the accuracy of the model by comparing the simulation results to reported experimental data. We simulated and analyzed the impact of the lesions on the sound-sensing function of the cochlea by adjusting the biomaterial parameters of each component of the cochlea.
Results: In the explored frequency range, the stereocilia and outer hair cells and basilar membrane sclerosis resulted in 23.4%, 47.2%, and 57.8% reduction of basilar membrane displacement, respectively. Lesions of the basilar membrane and stereocilia and outer hair cells in the Corti caused a hearing response curve shift to higher frequencies and a decrease of the amplitude of the basilar membrane.
Conclusions and significance: Lesions of the internal structure of the Corti cause diminished movement of basement membrane and decreased sensorial function, which ultimately lead to hearing loss.
Keywords: Cochlea; finite element method; hearing loss; organ of Corti; structural lesions.