Finite Element Analysis of Clinical Pressure-Flow Waveforms in a Collapsed Respiratory Airway

Otitis media (OM) is the most commonly diagnosed disorder in young children and cost the US economy ∼$5 billion dollars annually[1]. Although the primary etiology responsible for the persistence of OM conditions is a dysfunctional Eustachian tube (ET), the biomechanical mechanisms responsible for ET dysfunction are not well established. The ET is a collapsible, respiratory airway which connects the nasopharynx with the middle ear (ME). The ET normally exists in a closed state and must be periodically opened in order to clear ME fluids and ventilate the ME. The inability to open the ET results in painful sub-ambient ME pressures, fluid accumulation in the ME and the inflammation of the ME mucosa (i.e. OM).