We encountered a case of acquired perilymphatic fistula in which the origin of the disease, namely, the stapes begin medially displaced into the vestibule, was shown by thin-section CT. Accordingly, we recommend that every patient with suspected perilymphatic fistula of traumatic origin undergo high-resolution CT of the petrous bone.

This study is based on the examination of histological sections of specimens of different ages and of adult ossicles from macerated skulls representing a wide range of taxa and aims at addressing several issues concerning the evolution of the ear ossicles in marsupials. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the ear ossicles based on histological series were done for one or more stages of Monodel...

(cavities), canals, and fissures. Crucial nerves, blood vessels, and auditory and vestibular organs coexist in this dense bone structure in a complex 3D configuration , causing medical science to once regard the temporal bone as a surgically forbidden area (see Figure 1). Today, otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat) surgeons still find it difficult to envision and master these complex anatomic...

Otosclerosis is a relatively common heterogenous condition, characterized by abnormal bone remodelling in the otic capsule leading to fixation of the stapedial footplate and an associated conductive hearing loss. Although familial linkage and candidate gene association studies have been performed in recent years, little progress has been made in identifying disease-causing genes. Here, we used ...

HYPOTHESIS Round window (RW) stimulation with a floating mass transducer (FMT) can be studied experimentally and optimized to enhance auditory transduction. BACKGROUND The FMT (MED-EL Vibrant Soundbridge) has been recently implanted in patients with refractory conductive or mixed hearing loss to stimulate the RW with varying degrees of success. The mechanics of RW stimulation with the FMT hav...

PURPOSE To evaluate the visualization of middle ear ossicles by ultra-short echo time magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 3T in subjects over 50 years old. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty ears from 30 elder patients that underwent surgical or interventional treatment for neurovascular diseases were included (ages: 50-82, median age: 65; 10 men, 20 women). Patients received follow-up MR imaging inc...

OBJECTIVES To reveal microscopic surgical anatomy of the middle ear in guinea pigs (GPs). MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty ears of GPs were dissected under dissection microscopy via inferior approach. By using digital equipment, the most suitable photograph was taken for each step. Differences and similarities between the ears of GPs and those of human beings are discussed to show the advantages ...