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Researcher
Pieter Muyshondt
- Research Expertise:My main field of expertise is the biomechanics of hearing. My research focuses on the function of the bird middle ear and the healthy and diseased human middle ear. As opposed to humans and mammals which have three hearing bones or ossicles, birds are equipped with only a single ossicle. During my PhD I investigated how birds are capable of receiving and transporting sound information to the internal hearing organs by means of this apparently simplified system. Further, I investigated how this single-ossicle ear deals with the slow but usually large variations in ambient pressure, which can occur for instance during flight. My current research is mainly focused on the human middle ear. Several conditions lead to a fixation of the ossicles, which goes along with mild to severe hearing loss. Current diagnostic tools to determine the nature of the fixation are often indecisive as they make insufficient use of objective measurement data of the condition of the ear. In my research I am trying to develop new optical measurement techniques which enable ENT doctors to perform a better diagnosis, both during the first stage of the clinical investigation as during exploration surgery. In many cases, the best hearing outcome is obtained when the ossicles are surgically replaced by an ossicular prosthesis, which shows resemblance to the ossicle of birds. In my research I am trying to improve the performance of such prostheses by reviewing their properties in advanced computer simulations of the middle ear.
- Keywords:FINITE-ELEMENT MODELING, MIDDLE EAR, OPTICAL MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES, Physics (incl. astronomy)
- Disciplines:Acoustics, noise and vibration engineering, Biomedical image processing, Biomedical modelling, Biomedical signal processing, Biomechanics, Otology
- Research techniques:The experimental techniques I use for my research are based on optical methods, in which we make use of the diffraction and interference properties of light and lasers to record the morphology and microscopic motions of the middle ear. These techniques include X-ray micro tomography, laser Doppler vibrometry, stroboscopic holography and profilometry. To analyze the experimental data in my research I make use of signal and image processing techniques, and acoustic and vibration analysis. To study the static and dynamic structural properties of the middle ear I perform numerical simulations based on the finite-element method.
- Users of research expertise:The general audience which is interested in the mechanical and acoustical functioning of the middle ear, both of humans and birds.