title: Magnetic resonance imaging of the cochlea, spiral ganglia and eighth nerve of the guinea pig.
abstract: The membranous labyrinth of the guinea pig cochlea and retrocochlear neural structures were investigated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using an experimental system with a field strength of 4.7T and a single turn surface coil 25 mm in diameter, or standard resonators of 34 or 70 mm in diameter and gradient field strengths of 950 mTm and 200 mTm. High-resolution 2-D and 3-D images of 0.3-1.0 mm slice thickness were acquired by a rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) sequence and a standard multi-echo technique. Structural and dimensional aspects of the cochlea were resolved in vitro and in vivo down to <50 microm, showing the scala vestibule, scala media, scala tympani, spiral ganglia and the cochlear (eighth) nerve. In vivo perfusions with the gadodiamide (GdDTPA-BMA) chelate-bound paramagnetic gadolinium ion resulted in dynamic temporal enhancement of the scala vestibule and scala tympani, but did not penetrate the scala media.
authors: Neurology Department, Harvard University Biological Laboratories, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors: S A
authors: SA
authors: Counter
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Bjelke
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Klason
authors: Z
authors: Z
authors: Chen
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Borg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003051:Cochlea / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D012016:Reference Values; D013136:Spiral Ganglion / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000159:Vestibulocochlear Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; C064925:gadodiamide; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA