Simulation of pathological high impedance tympanograms.

The Vanhuyse, Creten, and Van Camp (1975) model for analyzing high frequency tympanograms predicts the shapes of conductance, susceptance, and admittance tympanograms from the relationship between resistance and reactance tympanograms at the tympanic membrane. This model has been applied primarily to low impedance middle-ear pathologies but has not been applied extensively to the more commonly occurring high impedance pathologies. The purpose of this study was to extend the Vanhuyse et al. (1975) model to high impedance pathologies and to identify tympanometric parameters associated with otosclerosis, secretory otitis media, and lateral ossicular fixation. Data from previous experiments on the shape and absolute values of resistance and reactance tympanograms were used to calculate 678-Hz admittance tympanograms that were unique to each of the three high impedance pathologies. Guidelines for differentiating among the middle-ear pathologies on the basis of high frequency tympanometric shapes are presented.