title: An original inner ear neuroepithelial degeneration in a deaf Rottweiler puppy.
abstract: Histopathological investigation was conducted on both inner ears from a 4.5-month-old Rottweiler puppy with electrophysiologically confirmed bilateral deafness. The lesions were restricted to the organ of Corti and spiral ganglion that both displayed severe degenerative changes. The outer hair cells were less affected than the inner hair cells. The number of spiral ganglion neurons was reduced, and remaining neurons were altered. The basal and middle cochlear turns were more affected than the apical one. The vestibules were normal. Immunostaining with calbindin, calretinin, S100A1 and S100A6 polyclonal antisera was helpful in identifying different cell-types in the degenerated cochlea. The early and severe spiral ganglion cell degeneration is an uncommon finding no matter the species. Such lesions bear significance within the frame of cochlear implants technology for deaf infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Free University of Brussels, Faculty of Medicine, Belgium. angelique.coppens@ulb.ac.be
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Coppens
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Heizmann
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deltenre
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Poncelet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003051:Cochlea / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D003638:Deafness / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000294:innervation*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009925:Organ of Corti / Q000473:pathology; D013136:Spiral Ganglion / Q000473:pathology