Mapping ear canal movement using area-based surface matching

Movement of the external ear canal, associated with jaw motion, relative to the concha regior of the pinna has been studied. Pairs of open-jaw and closed-jaw impressions were taken of 14 ears from 10 subjects. Three-dimensional coordinate data were obtained from the concha and the anterior surface of the canal using a reflex microscope. Proprietary area-based matching software was used to evaluate distortion of the two surfaces between the two jaw positions. The canal data from each pair were placed into the same coordinate system with their respective concha regions aligned. Difference maps of the canal data were used to demonstrate the amount of anterior-posterior A-P), superior-inferior (S-I), and medial-lateral (M-L) movement, relative to the concha, that occurred between the open- and closed-jaw impressions. The concha regions did not undergo significant deformation. The canal regions underwent varying amounts of deformation with all canals conforming within an rms of 136 μm across the entire surface. The majority of canals underwent significant movement relative to the concha. M-L movement ranged from +2.0 to -3.8 mm; eight canals moved laterally, five moved medially, and two showed no movement. S-I movement ranged from +3.7 to -2.7 mm; nine canals moved inferiorly, two moved superiorly, and three showed no movement. A-P movement ranged between +7.5 and -8.5 mm, with five canals moving anteriorly, three posteriorly, and four in a mixed fashion. This study has shown the variability of canal movement relative to the concha and does not support previous reports that suggest that the ear canal only widens with jaw opening. © 2002 Acoustical Society of America.