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.