A novel therapeutic pathway to the human cochlear nerve

作者：Hao Li, Sumit Agrawal, Ning Zhu, Daniela I. Cacciabue, Marcelo N. Rivolta, Douglas E. H. Hartley, Dan Jiang, Hanif M. Ladak, Gerard M. O’Donoghue, Helge Rask‐Andersen · 发表于：Scientific Reports · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1038/s41598-024-74661-5 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Hearing, Cochlea, Tinnitus, Genetics、Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation、Neuroscience of respiration and sleep

Traditional approaches to the human cochlear nerve have been impeded by its bony encasement deep inside the skull base. We present an innovative, minimally invasive, therapeutic pathway for direct access to the nerve to deliver novel regenerative therapies. Neuroanatomical studies on 10 cadaveric human temporal bones were undertaken to identify a potentially safe therapeutic pathway to the cochlear nerve. Simulations based on three-dimensional delineation of anatomical structures obtained from synchrotron phase-contrast imaging were analyzed. This enabled the identification of an approach to the nerve in the fundus of the internal auditory meatus by trephining the medial modiolar wall of the cochlea via the round window for a median depth of 1.48 mm (range 1.21-1.91 mm). The anatomical access was validated on 9 additional human temporal bones using radio-opaque markers and contrast injection with micro-computed tomography surveillance. We thus created an effective conduit for the delivery of therapeutic agents to the cochlear nerve.