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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Semin Hear 2024; 45(01): 101-109
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1770154
Review Article

Imaging the Ear Anatomy and Function Using Optical Coherence Tomography Vibrometry

Wei Dong
1   VA Loma Linda Healthcare System, Loma Linda, California
2   Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Loma Linda University Health, Loma Linda, California
,
Sebastiaan W.F. Meenderink
1   VA Loma Linda Healthcare System, Loma Linda, California
› Author Affiliations Funding/Acknowledgments We thank Drs. Hyle Park and Xiaohui Lin. This work was supported by VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Merit Award 101RX002296 and NIDCD 1R21DC019998 to W.D. These contents do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. government.
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Abstract

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel technology for performing real-time high-speed and high-resolution cross-sectional imaging on the micro-scale in situ. It is analogous to ultrasound imaging, except that it uses light instead of sound. OCT has recently been introduced in auditory research to visualize the various structures of the ear with a minimally invasive operation. In addition, OCT can be used as a vibrometry system that is capable to detect sound-induced sub-nanometer vibrations of the middle and inner ear. OCT-vibrometry measures depth-resolved vibrations into the specimen, which overcomes several limitations of classical vibrometry techniques (e.g., single surface point measurements using laser interferometry). In this article, we illustrate how to visualize the anatomy and function of the middle and inner ear (the cochlea) in a gerbil model using recently developed spectral-domain OCT. Our results demonstrate that the largest clinical impact of OCT for otology is to visualize various pathologies and quantify sound conduction and processing in the individual peripheral human ear.

Keywords

cochlea or inner ear - laser interferometer - low-frequency hearing - middle ear - optical coherence tomography


Publication History

Article published online:
26 June 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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