The Capillary in the Human Cochlea

Abstract

The capillary area of eighteen aged human cochleas was studied using an alkaline phosphatasc staining method. The technique is described in detail. Modes of capillary branching in the spiral lamina were different from turn to turn. The vas spirale, a loop capillary vessel beneath the tunnel of Corti, was long in the basal turn and short in the upper turn. The spiral lamina of the upper turn was more vascularized than that of the basal turn. A morphometric measurement showed that the ratio of capillary density at the areas of 25 mm and 5 mm was 1.5. The significance of the findings is discussed in connection with the vulnerability of the basal turn of the cochlea in sensori-neural deafness.