Acoustic characteristics of reconstructed ear canal after atresia surgery

The acoustic properties of the reconstructed ear canals of 13 patients afte r atresia surgery were investigated by comparing them with those of contral ateral healthy ear canals. In the third post-operative month, resonant freq uency, amplitude and bandwith of the ear canals with Q-factor were measured . Probe microphone measurements showed a significant shift in resonant freq uency in the direction of the higher frequencies, and a non-significant cha nge in bandwith in the atresia surgery group. The suggested reason may be a change in ear canal curvature, altered vibration pattern and sound-absorpt ion characteristics of the skin graft lining the reconstructed ear canal.