title: The morphology and morphometry of the fetal fallopian canal: a microtomographic study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The canal for facial nerve (the fallopian canal, FC) is a bony structure passing through the petrous part of the temporal bone. The anatomy of this demanding and important for oto- and neurosurgeons structure is well described in literature. Among several studies on radiological anatomy of this region, still little papers focus on the developmental measurements in prenatal period.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Assessment of a microtomographic appearance of FC and dimensions based on available landmarks.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was performed on 22 fetal temporal bones aged 16-27 Hbd. Specimens were scanned in micro-CT scanner. Length (FC1, FC2) and width (FC1W, FC2W) of the labyrinthine and tympanic portions of FC, angle of the first curve of FC (A1-2), length of the internal acoustic meatus (IAM), distance from FC to the basal cochlear turn (BCT) and to the lateral semicircular canal (LSC) were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The paper discusses problems and a value of micro-CT in neuroanatomical studies. FC was found in 20/22 cases. Average value of all distances measured was: FC1 1.38 ± 0.35 mm; FC2 6.68 ± 1.34 mm; FC1W 1.07 ± 0.1 mm; FC2W 1.25 ± 0.13 mm; A1-2 87.24 ± 4.05°; IAM 4.89 ± 0.60 mm; BCT 0.35 ± 0.05 mm; LSC 0.55 ± 0.05 mm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Labyrinthine portion starts to ossify between 16th and 18th weeks of gestation and tympanic portion is fully ossified only after 20th week. Labyrinthine and tympanic portion of FC and the IAM elongate with age, whereas the angle of the first curve of FC and the distances to the BCT and the LSC remain stable and present no correlation with age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Descriptive and Clinical Anatomy, The Medical University of Warsaw, 5 Chałubińskiego St., 02004, Warsaw, Poland, tskadorwa@wum.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Tymon
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Skadorwa
authors.forename: Mateusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maślanka
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ciszek
mesh_terms: D002102:Cadaver; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010579:Petrous Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology*; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography