Research Article

A Hyperspectral Imaging Tympanoscope as a Diagnostic Tool: System Development and a Pilot Study

Abstract

Background and Aim: Accurate diagnosis of Middle Ear Effusion (MEE) is a challenging task due to the lack of reliable diagnostic tools available to physicians and audiologists. This study aimed to develop a hyperspectral imaging tympanoscope for diagnosing MEE and evaluate its diagnostic ability.
Methods: The tympanoscope system was constructed using an ear endoscope, lens, camera, and near-infrared wavelengths. Its diagnostic ability was evaluated with a middle earmimicking phantom. Additionally, a pilot study was conducted on middle ear images from 10 children (five healthy and five with MEE).
Results: Phantom experiments revealed a Weber contrast difference of 0.16 and 0.49 between phantoms with and without fluid in visible otoscopy and hyperspectral tympanoscopy, respectively. As a result, in hyperspectral tympanoscopy, the contrast difference between fluid presence and absence was nearly tripled. Furthermore, in the pilot study, a significant difference was found in Weber contrast between healthy children and those with MEE (p<0.001), with higher contrast in the MEE group.
Conclusion: The hyperspectral imaging tympanoscope can quantitatively distinguish between the presence or absence of fluid in the middle ear. It has potential as a diagnostic and monitoring tool for MEE.

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IssueVol 35 No 1 (2026) QRcode
SectionResearch Article(s)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18502/avr.v35i1.20580
Keywords
Hyperspectral tympanoscope middle ear effusion middle ear-mimicking phantom
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How to Cite
1.
Taghizade T, Farahani S, Kouhi A, Balooch A, Akbarzade-Baghban A, Esmaili M. A Hyperspectral Imaging Tympanoscope as a Diagnostic Tool: System Development and a Pilot Study. Aud Vestib Res. 2025;35(1):66-73.