Vascular anatomy of the human temporal bone. 3. The vascularization of the vestibulo-cochlear nerve.

Abstract

The vascular pattern inside the otic capsule was studied by injecting colored compounds into human temporal bones. In specimens from individuals of all age groups, one could fill the vascular network of the otic capsule by means of the following injections: Injections from the anterio-inferior cerebellar artery system (a.i.c.a.) or the common carotid artery respectively. Injections from both mentioned origins with differently colored compounds into the same specimen revealed numerous end to end anastomoses between the intra- and extracranial vessels. These were found too between the inferior petrosal sinus and the ad.c.a. branches. By means of the different injections one could observe an especially dense vascularity inside an area, which was named the “vascular key area”. It included the basal part of the bony separation between the cochlear coils plus the adjacent bony area between the cochlea, the middle ear promontory, the vestibule and the inferior part of the internal auditory canal fundus. The main route for vascular connections between the membranous cochlear structures and remote regions as par example the middle ear structures and the carotid artery network occured here too. The possible clinical importance of these data was discussed in the case of otosclerosis, vascular embolism, intracanalicular acoustic neurinomas und presbyacusis.