ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Center for X-Ray Analytics, Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 129, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2023 Aug;24(4):441-452. doi: 10.1007/s10162-023-00904-3. Epub 2023 Jul 5.
The osseous spiral lamina (OSL) is an inner cochlear bony structure that projects from the modiolus from base to apex, separating the cochlear canal into the scala vestibuli and scala tympani. The porosity of the OSL has recently attracted the attention of scientists due to its potential impact on the overall sound transduction. The bony pillars between the vestibular and tympanic plates of the OSL are not always visible in conventional histopathological studies, so imaging of such structures is usually lacking or incomplete. With this pilot study, we aimed, for the first time, to anatomically demonstrate the OSL in great detail and in 3D.
We measured width, thickness, and porosity of the human OSL by microCT using increasing nominal resolutions up to 2.5-µm voxel size. Additionally, 3D models of the individual plates at the basal and middle turns and the apex were created from the CT datasets.
We found a constant presence of porosity in both tympanic plate and vestibular plate from basal turn to the apex. The tympanic plate appears to be more porous than vestibular plate in the basal and middle turns, while it is less porous in the apex. Furthermore, the 3D reconstruction allowed the bony pillars that lie between the OSL plates to be observed in great detail.
By enhancing our comprehension of the OSL, we can advance our comprehension of hearing mechanisms and enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of cochlear models.
骨螺旋板(OSL)是从耳蜗轴突基底到顶点的耳蜗内骨结构,将耳蜗管分为前庭阶和鼓阶。OSL 的多孔性最近引起了科学家的关注,因为它可能对整体声音转导产生影响。在常规组织病理学研究中,OSL 的前庭板和鼓室板之间的骨柱并不总是可见,因此这些结构的成像通常缺乏或不完整。通过这项初步研究,我们首次旨在详细和三维地解剖示 OS。
我们通过微 CT 以增加的名义分辨率(高达 2.5-µm 体素大小)测量了人类 OSL 的宽度、厚度和孔隙率。此外,还从 CT 数据集创建了基底和中间转以及顶点的各个板的 3D 模型。
我们发现,从基底到顶点,在整个鼓室板和前庭板中都存在恒定的孔隙率。在基底和中间转,鼓室板似乎比前庭板更具多孔性,而在顶点则较少多孔性。此外,3D 重建允许观察到位于 OSL 板之间的骨柱。
通过增强对 OSL 的理解,我们可以加深对听力机制的理解,并提高耳蜗模型的准确性和有效性。