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The human tympanic membrane has reasonably good sound sensing properties. A destroyed tympanic membrane due to middle ear diseases or traumata may be repaired by different types of grafts. Middle ear surgery mostly uses autologous temporal fascia, cartilage, or cartilage perichondrium transplants. We have investigated the acoustical and mechanical properties of these materials and compared them with human tympanic membrane by constructing an ear canal model completed by an artificial tympanic membrane. Circular stretched human fascia, perichondrium, and cartilage preparations were exposed to static pressures up to 4 kPa and white noise sound pressure levels of 70 dB. The vibrational amplitudes and displacements due to static pressure of the graft material were measured by laser Doppler vibrometry and compared. The thin materials temporal fascia and perichondrium show similar amplitude frequency responses compared to the tympanic membrane for dynamic excitation. The displacement of these materials at static pressures above 4 kPA yields a higher compliance than tympanic membrane. The acoustical and mechanical properties of cartilage transplants change with the thickness of the slices. However, the thinner the cartilage slice combined with lower stability, the more similar is the frequency response with the intact tympanic membrane. The vibration amplitudes decrease more and more for layer thicknesses above 500 micrometers. Cartilage acts as an excellent transplant material which provides a better prognosis than different materials in cases of ventilation disorders with long-term middle ear pressure changes. Large cartilage slice transplants should not exceed layer thicknesses of 500 micrometer in order to prevent drawbacks to the transfer characteristics of the tympanic membrane.
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