Limitations of present models of blast-induced sound power conduction through the external and middle ear

The use of models to predict the effect of blast-like impulses on hearing function is an ongoing topic of investigation relevant to hearing protection and hearing-loss prevention in the modern military. The first steps in the hearing process are the collection of sound power from the environment and its conduction through the external and middle ear into the inner ear. Present efforts to quantify the conduction of high-intensity sound power through the auditory periphery depend heavily on modeling. This paper reviews and elaborates on several existing models of the conduction of high-level sound from the environment into the inner ear and discusses the shortcomings of these models. A case is made that any attempt to more accurately define the workings of the middle ear during high-level sound stimulation needs to be based on additional data, some of which has been recently gathered.