SCIENTIFIC EDUCATIONAL CENTER science idea

According to the World Health Organization, by 2050, about 2.5 billion people will suffer from hearing problems worldwide. The reasons will be different, ranging from the consequences of diseases and ending with injuries. And in at least 700 million cases, the situation will be so difficult that people will need urgent medical care. Recently, American scientists have learned to print implants of eardrums on a 3D printer — a thin membrane inside the ear that plays a key role in a person's ability to hear surrounding sounds. In the future, with the help of new technology, it will be possible to restore people's hearing even with very serious injuries, and it will take only about three months, which is definitely better than suffering from deafness throughout your life. But it is worth realizing that there are no ideal things, and even this technology has at least one disadvantage.

Restoration of the eardrum

If the damage is small, the eardrum can recover by itself. But at the same time, hearing acuity can noticeably worsen. If the rupture of the eardrum is strong, a surgical operation can save a person. During the so-called tympanoplasty, surgeons create a kind of "patch" of human tissues and thereby close the hole. As you may have already understood, a patched eardrum also cannot provide the initial hearing acuity — a person will still hear poorly. Sometimes, after injuries, some people are simply doomed to wear hearing aids.

Artificial eardrum

Recently, American researchers from Harvard University have developed a technology for manufacturing an artificial membrane. The new product is called PhonoGraft. The name is consonant with the" phonograph " — the first device for recording and reproducing sound. The eardrum implant has almost the same structure as the real part of the hearing aid. For its printing, special ink is used, which is not perceived by the human body as something alien. After being installed in the ear, the implant not only restores hearing, but also serves as a solid basis for the regeneration of a person's own tissues. This way it is more firmly implanted into the body and becomes an integral part of it.

To test the effectiveness of the invention in action, the authors of the scientific work implanted an artificial membrane in the body of chinchillas. The choice fell on these animals because the structure of their ears and the range of hearing is as similar as possible to a human. According to one of the authors of the scientific work, Aaron Remenschneider, the artificial membrane took root 3 months after the operation. They were convinced of this after looking inside the ear canal with an endoscope. They saw that the living tissues of the animal almost completely covered the implant. And this is certainly an impressive result of the hard work of scientists.

It is important to note that doctors did not make any incisions behind the ear to install the implant. An artificial eardrum is inserted directly through the ear canal. This significantly reduces the likelihood of infection and other serious problems. So it is possible that in the future this procedure will completely replace tympanoplasty.

In addition to diseases and physical injuries, frequent stay in noisy places can lead to deafness. Also, do not forget about the harm of daily use of headphones, especially at maximum volume. Everyone's favorite music can be dangerous to the ear and recently scientists even tried to find out the level of this danger.

hi-news.ru