Yuan Shuolong, Xu Liangwei, Huang Wenjie, Chen Wei, Guo Weiwei
Senior Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing 100853, China; State Key Laboratory of Hearing and Balance Science, Beijing 100853, China; National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, Beijing 100853, China; Key Laboratory of Hearing Science, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100853, China.
J Neurosci Methods. 2025 Jul 7;423:110527. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2025.110527.
Cochlear pathological sectioning is essential for studying inner ear structural changes. Traditional methods like paraffin embedding, frozen sectioning, and collodion embedding are limited to decalcified tissues. For cochlear specimens with rigid implants (e.g., cochlear implants), the implant must be separated before decalcification and sectioning. This process often damages the delicate cochlear architecture, compromising pathological integrity. Thus, there is a need for a precise and efficient method for examining cochlear tissues with implants.
We introduce a novel pathological method. First, the cochlea is sectioned and dissected. Then, micro-computed tomography (Micro CT) is used for three-dimensional imaging. Both normal and implant-bearing tissues undergo dehydration, embedding, and staining for histological analysis.
This method produces high-quality sections with uniform thickness, preserves cochlear architecture, and maintains fine structural details. It also enables precise implant localization within the cochlea.
Our approach allows for dynamic pathological change investigation, three-dimensional mapping of the implant-tissue interface, and micro-damage assessment in implant-bearing cochleae.
This histopathological sectioning method for cochlear-implanted porcine inner ears overcomes previous limitations. It provides a robust method for electrode positioning verification and a standardized framework for evaluating the mechanical-biocompatibility of new electrode designs.
Cochlear pathological sectioning serves as a critical technique for investigating structural alterations within the inner ear, with conventional methodologies including paraffin embedding, frozen sectioning, and collodion embedding. These techniques, however, are exclusively applicable to decalcified cochlear tissues. The preparation of histopathological sections from cochlear specimens containing rigid implants, such as cochlear implants, necessitates the preliminary separation of the implant from the cochlear tissue, followed by decalcification and subsequent sectioning. This separation process often results in mechanical disruption of the delicate cochlear architecture, thereby compromising the integrity of the inner ear's pathological structure. Consequently, there is a pressing need to develop a precise and efficient methodology for the pathological examination of cochlear tissues with implants. Given that traditional approaches involve prolonged decalcification, existing techniques are inadequate for addressing the challenges associated with implant-bearing cochlear specimens. To address this limitation, we propose a novel, rapid, and efficient pathological method. Initially, the cochlea is sectioned and dissected, followed by three-dimensional imaging using micro-computed tomography (Micro CT). Subsequently, both normal and implant-bearing cochlear tissues undergo dehydration, embedding, and staining for histological analysis. Our findings demonstrate that this method yields high-quality sections with uniform thickness, preserves the cochlear architecture intact, and maintains the fine structural details of the inner ear. Furthermore, it enables precise localization of the implant within the cochlea. This approach facilitates the investigation of dynamic pathological changes in implant-bearing cochleae, three-dimensional mapping of the implant-tissue interface, and assessment of micro-damage. It offers an efficient and non-destructive technical solution for optimizing the compatibility of rigid implants and advancing the pathological study of the inner ear.
耳蜗病理切片对于研究内耳结构变化至关重要。传统方法如石蜡包埋、冰冻切片和火棉胶包埋仅限于脱钙组织。对于带有刚性植入物（如人工耳蜗）的耳蜗标本，必须在脱钙和切片之前将植入物分离。这个过程常常会破坏精细的耳蜗结构，损害病理完整性。因此，需要一种精确且高效的方法来检查带有植入物的耳蜗组织。
我们引入了一种新颖的病理方法。首先，对耳蜗进行切片和解剖。然后，使用微型计算机断层扫描（Micro CT）进行三维成像。正常组织和带有植入物的组织都要经过脱水、包埋和染色以进行组织学分析。
该方法可产生厚度均匀的高质量切片，保留耳蜗结构，并保持精细的结构细节。它还能在耳蜗内实现植入物的精确定位。
我们的方法能够对动态病理变化进行研究，对植入物 - 组织界面进行三维映射，并对带有植入物的耳蜗进行微损伤评估。
这种用于植入人工耳蜗的猪内耳的组织病理学切片方法克服了以往的局限性。它为电极定位验证提供了一种可靠的方法，并为评估新电极设计的机械生物相容性提供了一个标准化框架。
耳蜗病理切片是研究内耳结构改变的关键技术，传统方法包括石蜡包埋、冰冻切片和火棉胶包埋。然而，这些技术仅适用于脱钙的耳蜗组织。从含有刚性植入物（如人工耳蜗）的耳蜗标本制备组织病理学切片，需要先将植入物与耳蜗组织分离，然后进行脱钙和后续切片。这种分离过程常常导致精细的耳蜗结构受到机械破坏，从而损害内耳病理结构的完整性。因此，迫切需要开发一种精确且高效的方法来对带有植入物的耳蜗组织进行病理检查。鉴于传统方法涉及长时间脱钙，现有技术不足以应对与带有植入物的耳蜗标本相关的挑战。为解决这一局限性，我们提出了一种新颖、快速且高效的病理方法。首先，对耳蜗进行切片和解剖，然后使用微型计算机断层扫描（Micro CT）进行三维成像。随后，正常和带有植入物的耳蜗组织都要经过脱水、包埋和染色以进行组织学分析。我们的研究结果表明，该方法可产生厚度均匀的高质量切片，完整保留耳蜗结构，并保持内耳的精细结构细节。此外，它能在耳蜗内实现植入物的精确定位。这种方法有助于对带有植入物的耳蜗的动态病理变化进行研究，对植入物 - 组织界面进行三维映射，并评估微损伤。它为优化刚性植入物的兼容性和推进内耳病理研究提供了一种高效且无损的技术解决方案。
