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Endomicroscopy of the human cochlea using a micro-optical coherence tomography catheter.

Endomicroscopy of the human cochlea using a micro-optical coherence tomography catheter. Scientific reports Iyer, J. S., Yin, B., Stankovic, K. M., Tearney, G. J. 2021; 11 (1): 17932

Abstract

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is one of the most profound public health concerns of the modern era, affecting 466 million people today, and projected to affect 900 million by the year 2050. Advances in both diagnostics and therapeutics for SNHL have been impeded by the human cochlea's inaccessibility for in vivo imaging, resulting from its extremely small size, convoluted coiled configuration, fragility, and deep encasement in dense bone. Here, we develop and demonstrate the ability of a sub-millimeter-diameter, flexible endoscopic probe interfaced with a micro-optical coherence tomography (muOCT) imaging system to enable micron-scale imaging of the inner ear's sensory epithelium in cadaveric human inner ears.

View details for DOI 10.1038/s41598-021-95991-8

View details for PubMedID 34504113