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Original Articles

The age-related positional and orientational changes of the human cochlea

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Pages 205-210 | Received 24 Aug 2014, Accepted 09 Oct 2014, Published online: 26 Jan 2015
 

Abstract

Conclusion: The cochleae of children over 6 years old and adults displaced more outward, backward, and downward in comparison with those of children under 6 years. However, the cochlear orientation does not significantly change during postnatal development. Adjacent structures correlated with the cochlear position. Objective: To test whether the cochlear position and orientation, which are important in cochlea implant surgery, change during postnatal development. Methods: CT images of both ears of 76 human subjects were studied. They were divided into three groups: group A (1–6 years old), group B (7–18 years old), and group C (>18 years old). Results: The distances from the cochlea to the median sagittal and coronal planes in group A were smaller than those in group B and group C (p < 0.05), but the distance from it to the Frankfurt plane in group A was larger than that in group C (p < 0.05). The volume of the temporal bone pneumatization and the positions of the jugular bulb and the intrapetrous internal carotid artery positively correlated with the cochlear position (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the angles between the central axis of the cochlea and these coordinate planes among age groups.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Third-stage Items of Project 985 and the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in Universities (IRT1010).

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

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