Matthias Bornitz

• Dr.rer.medic.; Dipl.-Ing.
• Senior Researcher at TU Dresden

Introduction The success of partial ossicular chain reconstructions in cases of conductive hearing loss depends on many factors. One important factor is the coupling between the prosthesis and the stapes head, which has not been explicitly investigated previously. Prostheses with different forms of attachment to the stapes are available, namely cli...

Recording and analyzing infrasound signals is essential to study natural phenomena, such as earthquakes, weather, or avalanches, but also has practical importance in aviation industry, optimization of wind turbines, and many more. However, the detection of faint infrasound signals is still a significant challenge as the transducers (e.g., mechanica...

Introduction Preserving the cochlear structures and thus hearing preservation, has become a prominent topic of discussion in cochlear implant (CI) surgery. Various approaches and soft surgical techniques have been described when approaching the inner ear. Robot-assisted cochlear implant surgery (RACIS) reaches the round window in a minimally invasi...

Recording and analyzing infrasound signals is essential to study natural phenomena such as earthquakes, weather, or avalanches, but also has practical importance in aviation industry, optimization of wind turbines, and many more. However, the detection of faint infrasound signals is still a significant challenge as the transducers (e.g., mechanical...

Introduction For experimental studies on sound transfer in the middle ear, it may be advantageous to perform the measurements without the inner ear. In this case, it is important to know the influence of inner ear impedance on the middle ear transfer function (METF). Previous studies provide contradictory results in this regard. With the current st...

The anatomy of the auditory region of fossil hominins may shed light on the emergence of human spoken language. Humans differ from other great apes in several features of the external, middle and inner ear (e.g., short external ear canal, small tympanic membrane, large oval window). However, the functional implications of these differences remain p...

The three additive manufacturing techniques fused deposition modeling, gel plotting and melt electrowriting were combined to develop a mimicry of the tympanic membrane (TM) to tackle large TM perforations caused by chronic otitis media. The mimicry of the collagen fiber orientation of the TM was accompanied by a study of multiple funnel-shaped mimi...

Significance: Endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) is of growing interest for in vivo diagnostics of the tympanic membrane (TM) and the middle ear but generally lacks a tissue-specific contrast. Aim: To assess the collagen fiber layer within the in vivo TM, an endoscopic imaging method utilizing the polarization changes induced by the b...

Introduction: In reconstructive middle ear surgery, acoustic quality has received a high level of attention in recent years. Careful intraoperative selection and positioning of passive middle ear prostheses during tympanoplasty with ossiculoplasty is essential to ensure satisfactory sound transmission and postoperative hearing outcome. The reconst...

Human temporal bone specimens are used in experiments measuring the sound transfer of the middle ear, which is the standard method used in the development of active and passive middle ear implants. Statistical analyses of these experiments usually require that the TB samples are representative of the population of non-pathological middle ears. Spec...

Objective: The active middle ear implant, Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB), can be implanted with a variety of couplers. Hearing outcome after implantation has been investigated in both temporal bone (TB) experiments and patient studies, but the relationship between experimental and clinical data is still weak in the literature. Therefore, experimental d...

INTRODUCTION // Measurements of the middle ear transfer function (METF) in human temporal bone specimens are fundamental to the research of middle ear mechanics. These experiments are essential in the development of new instruments, surgical techniques, and prostheses as well as active hearing implants. When drawing conclusions from these measurem...

Most commonly, autologous grafts are used in tympanic membrane (TM) reconstruction. However, apart from the limited availability and the increased surgical risk, they cannot replicate the full functionality of the human TM properly. Hence, biomimetic synthetic TM implants have been developed in our project to overcome these drawbacks. These innovat...

The ideal tympanic membrane (TM) replacement should meet the requirement of low resistance for dynamic pressures up to about 1 Pa but high resistance for large static pressures up to about 5 kPa. Although electrospun membranes have a great potential to be used as a TM replacement, it is necessary to adjust its microstructure in order to mimic the a...

Hearing a sound produces vibrations of the ossicles in the middle ear, which can be measured in the micrometer to nanometer range. Destruction of middle ear structures results most commonly from chronic inflammatory diseases. In these cases, passive and active middle ear implants are used for reconstruction of the ossicular chain. The positioning o...

Active middle ear implants or implantable hearing aids are used to treat sensorineural or combined hearing loss. Their coupling to the middle ear structures has a large impact on the success of rehabilitation. Practical issues such as the coupling site, influence of middle ear status, and forward and backward excitation of the inner ear are discuss...

The tympanic membrane (TM) transfers sound waves from the air into mechanical motion for the ossicular chain. This requires a high sensitivity to small dynamic pressure changes and resistance to large quasi‐static pressure differences. The TM achieves this by providing a layered structure of about 100µm in thickness, a low flexural stiffness, and a...

The etiology of hearing loss originates from genetic factors and includes several other events including infections, working or living environment, as well as several endocrine and metabolic disorders. The Vibrant® Soundbridge™ (VSB) is an implantable hearing aid whose floating mass transducer (FMT) is attached to the long process of the incus. The...

Electrospun membranes have a great potential in myringoplasty, as the special microstructure of fibers could be comparable to the fiber structure of the tympanic membrane (TM), thus, making it an potential implant for tympanic membrane reconstruction. In this work, the microscale parameters of the fiber structure were studied in a numerical homogen...

Objectives: In patients with chronic middle ear disease, especially after revision surgery for ventilation problems and mixed hearing loss, active middle ear implants may provide an alternative treatment option. The fully implantable active middle-ear implant (FI-AMEI) is designed for implantation in a ventilated mastoid with an intact posterior c...

Objective: After tympanoplasty, it is often challenging to differentiate between different causes of a remaining air bone gap (ABG). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) offers a new approach for combined morphologic and functional measurements of the tympanic membrane and adjacent parts of the middle ear. Thus, it provides valuable diagnostic infor...

Acousto-mechanical properties of the human tympanic membrane mainly depend on the connective tissue in its layered structure. Using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography, a depth-resolved imaging technique which provides additional tissue specific contrast, polarization changes of the birefringent layers in the human tympanic membrane...

We propose a novel system based on the Floating Mass Transducer (FMT) to be used as the active component of a fully implantable, Vibrant Soundbridge-like middle ear implant. The new system replaces the external microphone used in the currently available design with an implantable piezoelectric sensor that is inserted into the incudostapedial joint...

Dynamic pressure at the tympanic membrane is transformed and subsequently transferred through the ossicular chain in the form of forces and moments. The forces are primarily transferred to the inner ear. They are transferred partly to the stapedial annular ligament which exhibits non-linear behavior and stiffens for larger static forces. In unventi...

Although the Vibrant Soundbridge is one of the most frequently used active middle ear implants, data regarding how middle ear ventilation disorders may affect the transmission behavior of its floating mass transducer are still insufficient. Studies involving coupling the floating mass transducer to the stapes head are particularly lacking. This tem...

An endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) system with a wide field-of-view of 8 mm is presented, which combines the image capability of endoscopic imaging at the middle ear with the advantages of functional OCT imaging, allowing a morphological and functional assessment of the human tympanic membrane. The endoscopic tube has a diameter of 3....

Objective: To evaluate electromechanical excitation as an alternative excitation mode for middle ear transfer function (METF) measurements as well as real-time feedback in prosthetic ossicular reconstruction. Method: In eight human cadaveric temporal bones, the ossicular chain was excited using acoustic and mechanical (floating mass transducer,...

Endoscopic optical coherence tomography is a non-invasive and contactless imaging technique based on white light interferometry. It enables high-resolution three-dimensional imaging of scattering tissue up to a depth of about 2 mm. In addition, Doppler-OCT can detect sub-resolution movements. These features can be used to examine the tympanic membr...

Max Kemper, Joseph Morgenstern, Matthias Bornitz, Lars Kirsten, Martin Schindler, Julia Walther, Jonas Golde, Mikael Timo Erkkilä, Edmund Koch, Marcus Neudert, Thomas Zahnert Einleitung Die optische Kohärenztomographie (OCT) implementiert in ein endoskopisches Messsystem stellt ein Messverfahren dar, mit dem die direkte berührungsfreie Darstellung...

Hypothesis: A total ossicular replacement prosthesis (TORP) with a silicone coated ball and socket joint (BSJ) is able to compensate pressure changes and therefore provide better sound transmission compared with rigid prostheses. Background: Dislocation and extrusion are known complications after TORP reconstruction, leading to revisions and rec...

The middle ear transfer function should be measured in a temporal bone study after vibroplasty on the stapes head and under simulation of atmospheric pressure fluctuations (pressurization via external ear canal). Subsequently, materials used for tympanic membrane reconstruction (sheep ear cartilage varying in thickness, perichondrium, 3-D printed t...

Introduction: The optical coherencetomography (OCT) is a measuring method for non-contact evaluation of oscillation behaviour of ear drum, morphology and additionaly of the adjacent part of tympanic cavity. After development of an endoscopic OCT-measuring device (EOCT), we demonstrate the first measurement results of various middle ear pathologies...

Einleitung: Die optische Kohärenztomografie (OCT) ist ein Messverfahren, mit dem die direkte berührungsfreie Darstellung und Beurteilung der Trommelfellmorphologie, des Schwingungsverhaltens und anteilig des Paukenhöhleninhaltes möglich ist. Nach Entwicklung einer endoskopischen OCT-Messeinheit (EOCT) werden im Folgenden erste klinische Untersuchu...

Introduction: Although human hearing differs from other primates, the functional and morphologic basis of this is unknown. Here we aimed to investigate the middle ear transfer function (METF) of humans' closest living relatives. Methods: Four ears of the chimpanzees pan troglodytes (chimpanzee) and pan paniscus (bonobo) were investigated. Access...

In this ex vivo feasibility study, endoscopic structural and functional optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging with a field of view of 8 mm is presented allowing the inspection of nearly the entire tympanic membrane through the ear canal. The endoscope utilizes a gradient index optics for simultaneous OCT and video endoscopy. Additionally, Dopp...

The middle ear plays a crucial role in the quality of hearing. This complex construct performs different tasks like the protection against large air pressure input, the transmission of sound and its adaption to the inner ear impedance. Traumas, erosion by chronic otitis media or cholesteatoma, as well as other degenerative or damaging diseases, are...

Hypothesis: Electromagnetical excitation of ossicular vibration is suitable for middle ear transmission measurements in the experimental and clinical setting. Thereby, it can be used as a real-time monitoring system for quality control in ossiculoplasty. Background: Positioning and coupling of middle ear prosthesis are a precondition for good po...

Hypothesis: An implantable acousto-mechanical transducer will yield a higher output if its mass can be virtually increased through the use of a secondary actuator. Background: Current hearing aids and implants rely on feedback compensation to prevent instability (e.g. howling), usually in the form of a digital or analogue filter. We examine the...

Hypothesis: Prosthesis' length creates tension in ossicular reconstructions, which directly effects the middle ear sound transmission. Background: Relatively long prostheses are often used to stabilize the middle ear reconstruction to prevent dislocation. Thereby, tension on the flexible components such as the tympanic membrane (TM) and the annu...

The treatment of otitis media requires classifying the effusion in the tympanic cavity for choosing appropriate therapeutic strategies. Otoscopic examination of the middle ear depends on the expertise of the physician and is often hampered in case of inflammatory alterations of the tympanic membrane. In otologic research, optical coherence tomograp...

Influence of tension and positioning in middle ear reconstruction - Volume 130 Issue S3 - Thomas Zahnert, Matthias Bornitz, Marcus Neudert, Thomas Beleites

A fully implantable hearing aid is introduced which is a combined sensor-actuator-transducer designed for insertion into the incudostapedial joint gap (ISJ). The active elements each consist of a thin titanium membrane with an applied piezoelectric single crystal. The effectiveness of the operating principle is verified in a temporal bone study. We...

The use of ultrasound to cut bone in oral and craniofacial surgery has increased. There is concern that the application of ultrasound to the craniofacial skeleton might represent a potential hazard to the inner ear because of sound transmission by bone conduction resulting in hearing trauma. Conventional and ultrasound osteotomies were performed on...

Recently, optical coherence tomography (OCT) was utilized in multiple studies for structural and functional imaging of the middle ear and the tympanic membrane. Since Doppler OCT allows both, the spatially resolved measurement of the tympanic membrane oscillation and high-resolution imaging, it is regarded as a promising tool for future in vivo app...

A piezoelectric membrane transducer which offers an approach to treat sensorineural hearing loss is introduced. The sensor and the actuator element each consist of a titanium membrane with a single crystal piezo and are clamped into the same assembly housing. The transducer is placed into the incudostapedial joint gap (between incus and stapes ossi...

Implantable hearing aids are gaining importance for the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss and also for mixed hearing loss. The various hearing aid systems, combined with different middle ear situations, give rise to a wide range of different reconstructions. This article attempts to summarize the current knowledge concerning the mechanical in...