An alternative 3D numerical method to study the biomechanical behaviour of the human inner ear semicircular canal.

PURPOSE: The vestibular system is the part of the inner ear responsible for balance. Vertigo and dizziness are generally caused by vestibular disorders and are very common symptoms in people over 60 years old. One of the most efficient treatments at the moment is vestibular rehabilitation, permitting to improve the symptoms. However, this rehabilitation therapy is a highly empirical process, which needs to be enhanced and better understood. METHODS: This work studies the vestibular system using an alternative computational approach. Thus, part of the vestibular system is simulated with a three dimensional numerical model. Then, for the first time using a combination of two discretization techniques (the finite element method and the smoothed particle hydrodynamics method), it is possible to simulate the transient behavior of the fluid inside one of the canals of the vestibular system. RESULTS: The obtained numerical results are presented and compared with the available literature. The fluid/solid interaction in the model occurs as expected with the methods applied. The results obtained with the semicircular canal model, with the same boundary conditions, are similar to the solutions obtained by other authors. CONCLUSIONS: The numerical technique presented here represents a step forward in the biomechanical study of the vestibular system, which in the future will allow the existing rehabilitation techniques to be improved.