title: Partial corrosion casting to assess cochlear vasculature in mouse models of presbycusis and CMV infection.
abstract: Some forms of sensorineural hearing loss involve damage or degenerative changes to the stria vascularis and/or other vascular structures in the cochlea. In animal models, many methods for anatomical assessment of cochlear vasculature exist, each with advantages and limitations. One methodology, corrosion casting, has proved useful in some species, however in the mouse model this technique is difficult to achieve because digestion of non vascular tissue results in collapse of the delicate cast specimen. We have developed a partial corrosion cast method that allows visualization of vasculature along much of the cochlear length but maintains some structural integrity of the specimen. We provide a detailed step-by-step description of this novel technique. We give some illustrative examples of the use of the method in mouse models of presbycusis and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.
authors.affiliation: Auditory Science Laboratory, The Hospital for Sick Children, Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, and Department of Otolaryngology - HNS, 555 University Ave., Toronto M5G 1X8, Canada; Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME), University of Toronto, Rosebrugh Building, 164 College St., Toronto M5S 3G9, Canada. Electronic address: mattia.carraro@mail.utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Mattia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carraro
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery and Pediatrics, University of Utah, 50 N Medical Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA. Electronic address: Albert.Park@imail2.org.
authors.forename: Albert H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Auditory Science Laboratory, The Hospital for Sick Children, Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, and Department of Otolaryngology - HNS, 555 University Ave., Toronto M5G 1X8, Canada; Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME), University of Toronto, Rosebrugh Building, 164 College St., Toronto M5S 3G9, Canada; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, 190 Elizabeth St., R. Fraser Elliott Building, Toronto M5G 2N2, Canada. Electronic address: rvh@sickkids.ca.
authors.forename: Robert V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Harrison
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D003051:Cochlea / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000821:virology; D016319:Corrosion Casting / Q000379:methods*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011304:Presbycusis / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Age related hearing loss; Cochlear hearing loss; Organ of Corti; Scanning electron microscopy; Spiral ligament; Spiral limbus; Stria vascularis; Viral infection