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Published on: June 27, 2016
The Superiority of the Otolith System
Angel Ramos de Miguel1,2, Andrzej Zarowski3, Morgana Sluydts3
1Department of Otolaryngology, and Head and Neck Surgery, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular Materno Infantil de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, aramos.gcc@gmail.com.
Background:
The peripheral vestibular end organ is considered to consist of semi-circular canals (SCC) for detection of angular accelerations and the otoliths for detection of linear accelerations. However, otoliths being phylogenetically the oldest part of the vestibular sensory organs are involved in detection of all motions.
Summary:
This study elaborates on this property of the otolith organ, as this concept can be of importance for the currently designed vestibular implant devices. Key Message: The analysis of the evolution of the inner ear and examination of clinical examples shows the robustness of the otolith system and inhibition capacity of the SCC. The otolith system must be considered superior to the SCC system as illustrated by evolution, clinical evidence, and physical principles.
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