A Morphometric Study of Auricular Concha in the Population of Young Chinese Adults

Abstract

SUMMARY:A detailed data of concha is currently not available. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine twelve morphometric measurements of concha, to investigate its sexual dimorphism and bilateral asymmetry, and to establish basic shapes of concha for both sexes and sides. The study sample comprised of 310 young Chinese aged 18-28 years. 141 left and 141 right ear impressions for females, 169 left and 169 right ear impressions for males were collected and scanned. The 3D coordinates of seven landmarks on each auricular concha were obtained using 3D scanning technology and curvature theory. From the landmarks, twelve morphometric measurements of concha were calculated and analyzed. The conchal morphometry exist significantly sexual dimorphism in this study sample. On average, all measurements were larger in males than in females regardless of the sides. There was significantly bilateral asymmetry among left and right conchae in both sexes. Some measurements were larger in the right sides and some measurements were larger in the left sides, but the bilateral difference in both measurements found to be less than 1mm. Additionally, the basic shapes of concha for both sexes and sides were established on the basis of the mean 3D coordinates of each landmark and the mean value of each measurement. The anthropometric method of this study could overcome the difficulty in locating landmarks of auricle complex structures, and attain a higher level of accuracy in the procedure of measurement. The quantitative description of conchal morphometry will be beneficial for plastic surgeons, and for the ergonomic design of hearing aids.

A systematic review on ear anthropometry and its industrial design applications

“…Recently, researchers have conducted ear anthropometry with 3D technologies. Different techniques have been applied to collect the external ear data, including stereophotogrammetry (Sforza et al, 2009), CT (Wang, Dong, Zhao, Bai, & Wu, 2011; Yu et al, 2015), and 3D scanning technology (Chiou et al, 2016; Ji et al, 2018; Lee et al, 2016; Lee et al, 2018; Modabber et al, 2018; Zhu, Ji, Gao, & Hu, 2017). Certain information, including specific dimensions and surface information, was extracted from 3D models for further analysis.…”

“…In addition to age and ethnicities, researchers have verified the effects of other demographic parameters on ear dimensions. Males tended to have larger ear sizes on ear length and width than females within the same population, such as Italian (Sforza et al, 2009), Indian (Alexander et al, 2011), Sudanese (Ahmed & Omer, 2015), and Chinese (Zhu et al, 2017). Regarding ear symmetry, most of linear, area, and ratio dimensions showed a good symmetry between the left and right ears, while angular dimensions tended to be not symmetric (Alexander et al, 2011; Sforza et al, 2009).…”

“…Chinese (Zhu et al, 2017). Regarding ear symmetry, most of linear, area, and ratio dimensions showed a good symmetry between the left and right ears, while angular dimensions tended to be not symmetric (Alexander et al, 2011;Sforza et al, 2009).…”

A Parametric Product Design Framework for the Development of Mass Customized Head/Face (Eyewear) Products

“…This ergonomic-anthropometric good fit relationship is a field that has intrigued many scholars. Some have taken an approach of statistically analyzing anthropometric data [34][35][36] to generate tools that designers could use to establish product size systems [37]. On the other hand, a parametric-based system has also been used to cluster anthropometric head-size data sets into four major groups, providing with this the basis for a personalized bicycle helmet design [38].…”

Statistical Analysis of Shape of Auricular Concha for Mass Customization of OTC Hearing Aids

“…Detailed information of the morphology, dimensions, location, and asymmetry of normal auricles is essential for diagnosing congenital abnormalities and syndromes, conducting forensic investigations, and ergonomically designing ear-related products (Coward et al, 2000;Purkait & Singh, 2007;Tatlisumak et al, 2015). Regardless of ethnicity, the literature shows that the mean dimensions of the auricle are larger in males than females, as evidenced by the numerous anthropometric studies that focus on the auricles of different ethnic groups, such as the Chinese (Liu, 2008;Wang et al, 2011;Yu et al, 2015;Zhu et al, 2017;Zhao et al, 2018;Fan et al, 2019), Koreans (Jung & Jung, 2003;Kang et al, 2006;Han et al, 2010;Lee et al, 2018), Malaysians (Kumar & Selvi, 2016), Indians (Purkait & Singh;Sharma et al, 2007;Purkait, 2013;Singhal et al, 2016), Sudanese Arabs (Ahmed & Omer, 2015), Italians (Russo, 1998;Ferrario et al,1999;Sforza et al, 2009), and Britons (Coward et al;Alexander et al, 2011). Moreover, it is worth noting that there are significant differences in the dimensions of the ears of those in different nations and of different ethnicities (for e.g., the Europeans have larger dimensions in comparison to Asians), thus suggesting that ear-related products for the Chinese population should not be designed based on the dimensions and shape of the ears of those who are not Chinese.…”