Open Access

ARTICLE

A Numerical Investigation of the Effects of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo on the Balance Function of the Inner Ear

Shen Yu¹, Jizhe Wang^2,*, Yan Guo^2,*, Xiuzhen Sun², Shuang Shen³

1 State Key Laboratory of Structural Analysis for Industrial Equipment , Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China.
2 Department of Otorhinalaryngology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, China.
3 School of Special Education, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, China.

*Corresponding Author: Jizhe Wang. Email: .

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Innovations and Current Trends in Computational Cardiovascular Modeling: Molecular, Cellular, Tissue and Organ Biomechanics with Clinical Applications)

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2018, 116(2), 315-322. https://doi.org/10.31614/cmes.2018.04028

Abstract

A three-dimensional numerical model of the membranous labyrinth of the semicircular canal of the inner ear was established to investigate the effects of canalithiasis of BPPV on the balance function of the inner ear. The movement of otolith particles in the membranous labyrinth was simulated when a person turns his head to a specific position. The effects of otolith movements on the balance function of the inner ear were simulated for different numbers, diameters, and initial positions of otoliths. The simulation results show that the otolith diameter affects the movement duration of otoliths in the membranous labyrinth. The number and diameter of otoliths, the diameter of the membranous labyrinth, and the initial position of the otoliths can cause changes in the pressure difference on both sides of the cupula of the crista ampullaris (cupula). The latent period and onset period are related to the diameter of otolith particles and the position of the head. There is also a correlation between the severity of the disease and the diameter and number of otolith particles.

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