Hellström S, Johansson U, Anniko M
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Umeå, Sweden.
Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 1989;457:33-42. doi: 10.3109/00016488809138882.
In the present study the literature on the round window membrane (RWM) structure was reviewed and the rat used as an animal model to elucidate structural alterations of the RWM occurring during serous (SOM) and purulent (POM) otitis media. In SOM the RWM was about the same thickness as that of the control, whereas in POM it increased about 5-fold. The structural changes in POM were mainly confined to the epithelium facing the middle ear cavity. The normal flat epithelium was transformed into a pseudostratified epithelium with both ciliated and goblet cells. Light microscopy revealed only minor changes in the RWM structure during SOM. However, ultrastructurally, the connective tissue layer exhibited dense accumulations of collagen and elastic fibres which were not observed in either normal or the POM ears. The study showed that different inflammatory conditions of the middle ear cause different structural alterations of the RWM. To what extent these changes also influence differently the permeability of the RWM remains to be elucidated. Obviously ultrastructural studies are needed to be able to characterize the structural changes which appear in the RWM in a diseased ear.
在本研究中，回顾了关于圆窗膜（RWM）结构的文献，并将大鼠用作动物模型，以阐明浆液性中耳炎（SOM）和化脓性中耳炎（POM）期间RWM发生的结构改变。在SOM中，RWM的厚度与对照组大致相同，而在POM中，其厚度增加了约5倍。POM中的结构变化主要局限于面向中耳腔的上皮。正常的扁平上皮转变为具有纤毛细胞和杯状细胞的假复层上皮。光镜检查显示SOM期间RWM结构仅有轻微变化。然而，在超微结构上，结缔组织层表现出胶原纤维和弹性纤维的密集堆积，这在正常耳朵或POM耳朵中均未观察到。该研究表明，中耳的不同炎症状态会导致RWM发生不同的结构改变。这些变化在多大程度上也会对RWM的通透性产生不同影响仍有待阐明。显然，需要进行超微结构研究，以便能够表征患病耳朵中RWM出现的结构变化。
