Examination of inner ear structures: a micro-CT study

Abstract

Background

We investigated the inner ear anatomy accurately in detail by microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) to contribute to the data related to the inner ear anatomy and the potential clinical contribution of these data in the treatment of the inner ear’s pathologies.

Aims/objectives

This study aimed to define a range for normal measurements of the VA, vestibule, lateral semicircular canal, and cochlea. We scanned temporal dry bone samples at high resolution using micro-CT.

Material and Methods

Forty dry temporal bones used in anatomy student education were included in this study with a micro-CT device. All measurements were made on sections in the axial plane with micro-CT programs.

Results

The operculum and the vestibular aqueduct middle diameters median values were 0.487 mm and 0.294 mm, respectively. The median value of middle diameters for the nonampullated section of lateral semicircular canal was 1.103 mm. The mean height of the cochlea was 3.417 mm and the width of the cochlea was 5.615 mm. The mean length of the vestibule was 6.085 mm and the width of the vestibule was 3.002 mm.

Conclusions and significance

We present a database that clinicians can consider in their studies by creating normal anatomical values measured with high precision for the bone labyrinth.

Chinese Abstract

背景：我们通过显微计算机断层扫描 (micro-CT) 准确详细地研究了内耳解剖结构, 以提供与内耳解剖结构相关的数据, 并研究了这些数据在内耳病理治疗中的潜在临床应用。

目的：本研究旨在确定 VA、前庭、外侧半规管和耳蜗的正常测量范围。我们使用显微计算机断层扫描以高分辨率扫描了干颞骨样本 。

材料和方法：40 块解剖学教学用干颞骨以及一套微型 CT 设备用于这项研究。使用微型 CT 程序进行轴向平面截面的所有测量。

结果：鳃盖和前庭导水管的中径中位数分别为 0.487 毫米和 0.294 毫米。侧半规管非截部分的中径中位数为 1.103 毫米。耳蜗的平均高度为 3.417 毫米, 宽度为 5.615 毫米。前庭的平均长度为 6.085 毫米, 宽度为 3.002 毫米。

结论和意义：我们建立了骨迷路的高精度测量的正常解剖值, 为临床医生提供了一个数据库, 以便他们在各自的研究中加以考虑。

Keywords:

• Inner ear
• microcomputed tomography
• vestibular aqueduct
• lateral semicircular canal
• vestibule
• cochlea

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author (Mert OCAK, e-mail: [email protected]) upon reasonable request.

Table 1. Morphometric characteristics of the inner ear structures.