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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
The Miniature Pig: A Large Animal Model for Cochlear Implant Research
Published on: July 28, 2022
Optical coherence tomography of the cochlea in the porcine model
Ali Sepehr1, Hamid R Djalilian, Janice E Chang
1Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic, University of California-Irvine, USA.
Objectives/Hypothesis:
To demonstrate the feasibility of optical coherence tomography in microstructural imaging of the porcine cochlea.
Study Design:
Ex vivo, porcine model.
Methods:
Optical coherence tomographic images of the porcine cochlea were obtained by thinning the bone from the basal turn of the cochlea leaving the endosteum intact. The images were compared with the corresponding histological sections.
Results:
In the areas of thinned bone, images were obtained of the stria vascularis, Reissner's membrane, basilar membrane, tectorial membrane, scala media, scala tympani, and scala vestibuli. The bone was too thick for adequate light penetration in the areas where it was not thinned. Good histological correlation was obtained.
Conclusions:
Cochlear and vestibular microanatomic structures of the pig cochlea were clearly identified with histological confirmation, suggesting the potential application of this noninvasive imaging modality for in vivo imaging of the human cochlea.
