Comparison of deformation models of the tympanic membrane

Rationale. The development of methods for assessing the compliance of the physical properties of artificial materials with the physiological parameters of native tissues and organs is one of the urgent tasks of tissue engineering. This also applies to artificial wound dressings used in tympanoplasty operations. Objective. To determine a group of deformation models of the human eardrum for the purpose of screening artificial materials for surgical replacement of its defects. Methods. Formally defined deformation models were considered: elastic linear, bilinear, trilinear, exponential and hyperelastic models. Among the hyperelastic models, the neo-Hookean, 2-parameter Mooney-Rivlin, 1st-order Ogden, 3rd-order Yeo, 2nd-order polynomial and the Veronda-Westmann model were analyzed. The closeness of the calculated to experimental data was assessed using descriptive statistics. The Mathcad 15.0 and ANSYS 2022 R2 software packages were used for the calculations. Results. The numerical values ​​of the parameters of the linear, bilinear, trilinear, exponential and hyperelastic family models were determined. Of the studied hyperelastic models, the polynomial model demonstrated the lowest mean square approximation error (SD = 0.002 MPa), the highest data correlation was demonstrated by the polynomial, Ogden and Yeo models (R = 0.9999). Conclusions. The polynomial model is the most preferable for describing the mechanical properties of such a biological object as the eardrum, which experiences various deformation modes, and can be used for screening artificial materials for replacing defects in tympanic membrane plastic surgery. Among other models, the best indicators of the discrepancy between model and experimental data were found in the exponential model (SD = 0.002 MPa, R = 0.9998). The obtained data may be useful in the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering in the search for replacement materials for reconstructive interventions on the middle ear.