title: Stria vascularis and cochlear hair cell changes in syphilis: A human temporal bone study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe any changes in stria vascularis and cochlear hair cells in patients with syphilis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 13 human temporal bone samples from 8 patients with syphilis (our syphilis group), as well as 12 histopathologically normal samples from 9 age-matched patients without syphilis (our control group). We compared, between the two groups, the mean area of the stria vascularis (measured with conventional light microscopy connected to a personal computer) and the mean percentage of cochlear hair cell loss (obtained from cytocochleograms).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our syphilis group, only 1 (7.7%) of the 13 samples had precipitate in the endolymphatic or perilymphatic spaces; 8 (61.5%) of the samples revealed the presence of endolymphatic hydrops (4 cochlear, 4 saccular). The mean area of the stria vascularis did not significantly differ, in any turn of the cochlea, between the 2 groups (P>0.1). However, we did find significant differences between the 2 groups in the mean percentage of outer hair cells in the apical turn (P<0.026) and in the mean percentage of inner hair cells in the basal (P=0.001), middle (P=0.004), and apical (P=0.018) turns. In 7 samples in our syphilis group, we observed either complete loss of the organ of Corti or a flattened organ of Corti without any cells in addition to the absence of both outer and inner hair cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, syphilis led either to complete loss of the organ of Corti or to significant loss of cochlear hair cells, in addition to cochleosaccular hydrops. But the area of the stria vascularis did not change.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Giresun A. Ilhan Ozdemir State Hospital, Giresun, Turkey.
authors: Ömer
authors: Ö
authors: Hızlı
authors: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Gebze Fatih State Hospital, Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey.
authors: Serdar
authors: S
authors: Kaya
authors: Giresun A. Ilhan Ozdemir State Hospital, Giresun, Turkey; Department of Dermatology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors: Pelin
authors: P
authors: Hızlı
authors: Paparella Ear Head and Neck Institute, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors: Michael M
authors: MM
authors: Paparella
authors: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. Electronic address: cureo003@umn.edu.
authors: Sebahattin
authors: S
authors: Cureoglu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002452:Cell Count; D003051:Cochlea / Q000473:pathology; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000473:pathology; D004711:Endolymphatic Duct / Q000473:pathology*; D018159:Endolymphatic Hydrops / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D009925:Organ of Corti / Q000473:pathology; D013316:Stria Vascularis / Q000473:pathology*; D013587:Syphilis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Cochlea; Hair cell; Histopathology; Syphilis; Temporal bone