The present state of the visualization of audibility and equilibrium organs by micro-CT

Abstract

One of the main reasons for the slow clarification of the mechanisms of inner ear diseases such as Ménière's disease and the establishment of curative treatments, is that there is as yet no procedure that can non-destructively recognize the morphology of the soft tissue of the inner ear, because the spatial resolution of medical imaging equipment such as X-ray CT and MRI is too low to resolve fine structures such as the vestibular membrane, the so-called Reissner's membrane. We have successfully visualized fine structures like Reissner's membrane and the spiral ganglion in the human fetal cochlea for the first time by employing micro-CT with a spatial resolution hundreds or thousands of times greater than that of medical CT. The principle of micro-CT, importance of the visualization of audibility and equilibrium organs, associated problems, points to be made aware of, and prospects of micro-CT are discussed hereinafter.