Department of Surgical Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, Uppsala University Hospital, SE, 751 85, Uppsala, Sweden.
Department of Otolaryngology, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
Sci Rep. 2020 Apr 3;10(1):5877. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-62653-0.
Human spiral ganglion (HSG) cell bodies located in the bony cochlea depend on a rich vascular supply to maintain excitability. These neurons are targeted by cochlear implantation (CI) to treat deafness, and their viability is critical to ensure successful clinical outcomes. The blood supply of the HSG is difficult to study due to its helical structure and encasement in hard bone. The objective of this study was to present the first three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction and analysis of the HSG blood supply using synchrotron radiation phase-contrast imaging (SR-PCI) in combination with histological analyses of archival human cochlear sections. Twenty-six human temporal bones underwent SR-PCI. Data were processed using volume-rendering software, and a representative three-dimensional (3D) model was created to allow visualization of the vascular anatomy. Histologic analysis was used to verify the segmentations. Results revealed that the HSG is supplied by radial vascular twigs which are separate from the rest of the inner ear and encased in bone. Unlike with most organs, the arteries and veins in the human cochlea do not follow the same conduits. There is a dual venous outflow and a modiolar arterial supply. This organization may explain why the HSG may endure even in cases of advanced cochlear pathology.
人类螺旋神经节（HSG）细胞体位于骨性耳蜗内，依赖丰富的血管供应来维持兴奋性。这些神经元是耳蜗植入（CI）的靶点，用于治疗耳聋，其存活能力对于确保成功的临床结果至关重要。由于其螺旋结构和被硬骨包裹，HSG 的血液供应难以研究。本研究的目的是首次使用同步辐射相衬成像（SR-PCI）结合存档人耳蜗切片的组织学分析，对 HSG 血液供应进行三维（3D）重建和分析。26 个人颞骨接受了 SR-PCI。使用体绘制软件处理数据，并创建了一个有代表性的三维（3D）模型，以允许可视化血管解剖结构。组织学分析用于验证分割。结果表明，HSG 由与内耳其他部分分开并被骨包裹的放射状血管分支供应。与大多数器官不同，人类耳蜗中的动脉和静脉并不遵循相同的通道。存在双重静脉流出和蜗轴动脉供应。这种组织可能解释了为什么 HSG 即使在晚期耳蜗病理情况下也能耐受。
