Morphological changes of vestibular ganglion cells in human fetuses and in pediatric patients.
The temporal bone histopathology of human vestibular ganglion cells of fetuses and pediatric patients was studied. In the first study, we traced the morphological changes in vestibular ganglion cells in human fetuses ranging from 13 weeks to 39 weeks of gestational age by using 13 temporal bone serial sections. Vestibular ganglion cells had reached histological maturity by the 24th week of gestation and the volume of vestibular ganglion cell cytoplasm increased until the 39th week of gestation. In the second study, the temporal bone serial sections of seven neonates, eight infants and five children were investigated to reveal pathological changes in vestibular ganglion cells. Morphological changes in vestibular ganglion cells in human fetuses were revealed. Vestibular ganglion cells were changed pathologically by intracranial disease and variety etiology affecting the inner ear, because these are located in the internal auditory canal between the brain and labyrinth.
Kaga
K
K
Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. kimikaga-tky@umin.ac.jp
Sakurai
H
H
Ogawa
Y
Y
Mizuatani
T
T
Toriyama
M
M
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005333:Fetus / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000473:pathology; D014725:Vestibular Nerve / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology*; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology*