[Technics for postmortem removal of inner ear fluid]

Two methods for sampling inner ear fluid (a mixture of endolymph and perilymph) from corpses are described and compared. Using the classical method, a part of the petrous bone is chiselled out and, subsequently, a needle, attached to a 1-ml-syringe, is inserted through the oval foramen into the region of the utriculus. The inner ear fluid can then be removed. When the method proposed by Trela (1975) is applied, thin layers of the petrous crest are chiselled out until the common crus of the superior and posterior semi-circular becomes apparent. With a needle, attached to a 1-ml-syringe, the inner ear fluid can then be collected. The experiments show Trela's method to be simpler than the classical method. Moreover, only small amounts of inner ear fluid can be obtained by the latter technique. Trela's method is recommended for further studies on this fluid, which may be of forensic interest.