Cochlear and vestibular epithelia from a patient with Menière's disease: a case study. 1992

K C Horner
Laboratoire d'Audiologie Expérimentale, Inserm U229, Université Bordeaux II, Hôpital Pellegrin, France.

Scanning electron microscopy observations were carried out on the cochlear and vestibular epithelia of the left temporal bone of a Menière's patient. There was almost complete absence of hair cells in the basal turn of the cochlea. The outer hair cells of the second turn presented an abnormal shortening of the shorter stereocilia within a tuft, reminiscent of the specific atrophy of the short and middle stereocilia in the ciliary tufts of outer hair cells in the guinea pig with experimental hydrops. The cilia of the inner hair cells showed fusion and giant cilia formation. Hair cells were observed in the apical turn which showed no pathological features in particular. In the saccular epithelium there were a number of striking features including, loss of the kinocilium, loss of ciliary tufts, swelling of the sensory cells, holes in the epithelium, and sensory cells pushed out and lying on the surface. The utricular epithelium was less perturbed and showed only relatively small protrusions from the epithelial surface. Similar observations have earlier been made on the vestibular epithelium in experimental hydrops. After taking into consideration the relatively long delay to fixation (12 hours) it appeared that the sacculus was more fragile and prone to autolysis than the other organs suggesting that the in-vivo pathology was manifested in particular in that organ as would be predicted from Menière's symptoms.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008575 Meniere Disease A disease of the inner ear (LABYRINTH) that is characterized by fluctuating SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS; TINNITUS; episodic VERTIGO; and aural fullness. It is the most common form of endolymphatic hydrops. Meniere's Disease,Meniere's Syndrome,Vertigo, Aural,Auditory Vertigo,Aural Vertigo,Ménière Disease,Ménière's Disease,Ménière's Vertigo,Otogenic Vertigo,Auditory Vertigos,Disease, Meniere,Disease, Meniere's,Disease, Ménière,Disease, Ménière's,Diseases, Ménière,Diseases, Ménière's,Meniere Syndrome,Menieres Disease,Menieres Syndrome,Ménière Diseases,Ménière Vertigo,Ménière's Diseases,Ménière's Vertigos,Ménières Disease,Ménières Vertigo,Otogenic Vertigos,Syndrome, Meniere's,Vertigo, Auditory,Vertigo, Ménière's,Vertigo, Otogenic,Vertigos, Auditory,Vertigos, Ménière's,Vertigos, Otogenic
D008855 Microscopy, Electron, Scanning Microscopy in which the object is examined directly by an electron beam scanning the specimen point-by-point. The image is constructed by detecting the products of specimen interactions that are projected above the plane of the sample, such as backscattered electrons. Although SCANNING TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY also scans the specimen point by point with the electron beam, the image is constructed by detecting the electrons, or their interaction products that are transmitted through the sample plane, so that is a form of TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY. Scanning Electron Microscopy,Electron Scanning Microscopy,Electron Microscopies, Scanning,Electron Microscopy, Scanning,Electron Scanning Microscopies,Microscopies, Electron Scanning,Microscopies, Scanning Electron,Microscopy, Electron Scanning,Microscopy, Scanning Electron,Scanning Electron Microscopies,Scanning Microscopies, Electron,Scanning Microscopy, Electron
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D003051 Cochlea The part of the inner ear (LABYRINTH) that is concerned with hearing. It forms the anterior part of the labyrinth, as a snail-like structure that is situated almost horizontally anterior to the VESTIBULAR LABYRINTH. Cochleas
D004195 Disease Models, Animal Naturally-occurring or experimentally-induced animal diseases with pathological processes analogous to human diseases. Animal Disease Model,Animal Disease Models,Disease Model, Animal
D004487 Edema Abnormal fluid accumulation in TISSUES or body cavities. Most cases of edema are present under the SKIN in SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUE. Dropsy,Hydrops,Anasarca
D004848 Epithelium The layers of EPITHELIAL CELLS which cover the inner and outer surfaces of the cutaneous, mucus, and serous tissues and glands of the body. Mesothelium,Epithelial Tissue,Mesothelial Tissue,Epithelial Tissues,Mesothelial Tissues,Tissue, Epithelial,Tissue, Mesothelial,Tissues, Epithelial,Tissues, Mesothelial
D005260 Female Females
D006168 Guinea Pigs A common name used for the genus Cavia. The most common species is Cavia porcellus which is the domesticated guinea pig used for pets and biomedical research. Cavia,Cavia porcellus,Guinea Pig,Pig, Guinea,Pigs, Guinea
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man

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