Visualizing the 3D cytoarchitecture of the human cochlea in an intact temporal bone using synchrotron radiation phase contrast imaging

in 3D intact, non-decalcified, unstained human temporal bones. Our findings show that this imaging technique resolves the bone-encased sensory epithelium's cytoarchitecture with unprecedented levels of cellular detail for an intact, unstained specimen, and is capable of distinguishing between healthy and damaged epithelium. All analyses were performed using commercially available software that quickly reconstructs and facilitates 3D manipulation of massive data sets. Results suggest that synchrotron radiation phase contrast imaging has the future potential to replace histology as a gold standard for evaluating intracochlear structural integrity in human specimens, and motivate further optimization for translation to the clinic.