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Three-dimensional histological specimen preparation for accurate imaging and spatial reconstruction of the middle and inner ear.

ABSTRACT: PURPOSE:This paper presents a highly accurate cross-sectional preparation technique. The research aim was to develop an adequate imaging modality for both soft and bony tissue structures featuring high contrast and high resolution. Therefore, the advancement of an already existing micro-grinding procedure was pursued. The central objectives were to preserve spatial relations and to ensure the accurate three-dimensional reconstruction of histological sections. METHODS:Twelve human temporal bone specimens including middle and inner ear structures were utilized. They were embedded in epoxy resin, then dissected by serial grinding and finally digitalized. The actual abrasion of each grinding slice was measured using a tactile length gauge with an accuracy of one micrometre. The cross-sectional images were aligned with the aid of artificial markers and by applying a feature-based, custom-made auto-registration algorithm. To determine the accuracy of the overall reconstruction procedure, a well-known reference object was used for comparison. To ensure the compatibility of the histological data with conventional clinical image data, the image stacks were finally converted into the DICOM standard. RESULTS:The image fusion of data from temporal bone specimens' and from non-destructive flat-panel-based volume computed tomography confirmed the spatial accuracy achieved by the procedure, as did the evaluation using the reference object. CONCLUSION:This systematic and easy-to-follow preparation technique enables the three-dimensional (3D) histological reconstruction of complex soft and bony tissue structures. It facilitates the creation of detailed and spatially correct 3D anatomical models. Such models are of great benefit for image-based segmentation and planning in the field of computer-assisted surgery as well as in finite element analysis. In the context of human inner ear surgery, three-dimensional histology will improve the experimental evaluation and determination of intra-cochlear trauma after the insertion of an electrode array of a cochlear implant system.

SUBMITTER: Rau TS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3702969 | biostudies-other | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Three-dimensional histological specimen preparation for accurate imaging and spatial reconstruction of the middle and inner ear.

Rau Thomas S TS Würfel Waldemar W Lenarz Thomas T Majdani Omid O

International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery 20130430 4

<h4>Purpose</h4>This paper presents a highly accurate cross-sectional preparation technique. The research aim was to develop an adequate imaging modality for both soft and bony tissue structures featuring high contrast and high resolution. Therefore, the advancement of an already existing micro-grinding procedure was pursued. The central objectives were to preserve spatial relations and to ensure the accurate three-dimensional reconstruction of histological sections.<h4>Methods</h4>Twelve human ...[more]

PMID: 23633112

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Project description:BACKGROUND: In most modern bony fishes (teleosts) hearing improvement is often correlated with a close morphological relationship between the swim bladder or other gas-filled cavities and the saccule or more rarely with the utricle. A connection of an accessory hearing structure to the third end organ, the lagena, has not yet been reported. A recent study in the Asian cichlid Etroplus maculatus provided the first evidence that a swim bladder may come close to the lagena. Our study was designed to uncover the swim bladder-inner ear relationship in this species. We used a new approach by applying a combination of two high-resolution techniques, namely microtomographic (microCT) imaging and histological serial semithin sectioning, providing the basis for subsequent three-dimensional reconstructions. Prior to the morphological study, we additionally measured auditory evoked potentials at four frequencies (0.5, 1, 2, 3 kHz) to test the hearing abilities of the fish. RESULTS: E. maculatus revealed a complex swim bladder-inner ear connection in which a bipartite swim bladder extension contacts the upper as well as the lower parts of each inner ear, a condition not observed in any other teleost species studied so far. The gas-filled part of the extension is connected to the lagena via a thin bony lamella and is firmly attached to this bony lamella with connective material. The second part of the extension, a pad-like structure, approaches the posterior and horizontal semicircular canals and a recessus located posterior to the utricle. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first detailed report of a link between the swim bladder and the lagena in a teleost species. We suggest that the lagena has an auditory function in this species because the most intimate contact exists between the swim bladder and this end organ. The specialized attachment of the saccule to the cranial bone and the close proximity of the swim bladder extension to the recessus located posterior to the utricle indicate that the saccule and the utricle also receive parallel inputs from the swim bladder extension. We further showed that a combination of non-destructive microCT imaging with histological analyses on the same specimen provides a powerful tool to decipher and interpret fine structures and to compensate for methodological artifacts.

Dataset Information

Three-dimensional histological specimen preparation for accurate imaging and spatial reconstruction of the middle and inner ear.

Publications

Three-dimensional histological specimen preparation for accurate imaging and spatial reconstruction of the middle and inner ear.

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