Quantitative measurements of the three-dimensional anatomy of the guinea pig cochlea using optical sectioning

Three-dimensional reconstruction of the scala tympani of the guinea pig cochlea has been accomplished with a recently developed acquisition system that uses a novel optical sectioning technique. The system produces high-contrast images of cochlear cross sections that clearly delineate the walls of the scala tympani. Serial images are recorded with a rotational protocol. With this technique the investigator can trace the scalae from the base to the helicotrema of the inner ear. The outline is digitized in each of these pages, producing a collection of closed curves, one from each image. These digitized curves, along with the translation and rotation data associated with each image, form the database for the three-dimensional reconstruction