Three-dimensional study of vestibular anatomy as it relates to the stapes footplate and its clinical implications: an...

The anatomy of the membranous labyrinth within the vestibule has direct implications for surgical intervention. The anatomy of the otoliths has been studied, but there is limited information regarding their supporting connective tissue structures such as the membrana limitans in humans.

One guinea pig and 17 cadaveric human temporal bones were scanned using micro computed tomography, after staining with 2 per cent osmium tetroxide and preservation with Karnovsky's solution, with a resolution from 1 µm to 55 µm. The data were analysed using VGStudio Max software, rendered in three-dimensions and published in augmented reality.

In 50 per cent of ears, the membrana limitans attached directly to the postero-superior part of the stapes footplate. If attachments were present in one ear, they were present bilaterally in 100 per cent of cases.

Micro computed tomography imaging allowed three-dimensional assessment of the inner ear. Such assessments are important as they influence the surgical intervention and the evolution of future innovations.