Anatomic variations of the human cochlear aqueduct. A radioanatomic investigation.

The cochlear aqueduct follows a course through the petrous pyramid that varies from straight and steeply vertical to a curvilinear and horizontal. Its course and length are correlated to the pneumatization of the pyramid and also to the volume of the jugular fossa. These two factors influence the radiographic reproduction of the cochlear aqueduct, especially in computed tomography in the axial transverse projection but to a far lesser degree in multidirectional tomography.