Visual perception of the osseous labyrinth rendered from micro-CT scans of the petrous bone

Grayscale images comparing to the color images may have less of visual information necessary for easy recognition of the anatomical structures. Although micro-CT scanners deliver images of ultra-high resolution, application of false-colors to the rendered structures enhance their visual perception and allow for quick delineation between them and surrounding bony matrix. This paper presents differences of imaging of the osseous structures of the inner ear labyrinth using pseudo-color volume rendering in contrast to grayscale volume rendering of the micro-CT data. Applied procedures of image processing improved significantly delineation between the bony matrix surrounding the cochlea and vestibule rendered in the pseudo-colors than in grayscale.