Histogenesis of Corpora Amylacea of the Cochlear Aqueduct, the Internal Auditory Meatus and the Associated Cranial Nerves

LITTLE is known about the function of the cochlear aqueduct. Since a number of surgical procedures are concentrated on the perilymphatic spaces, it is felt that a thorough knowledge of the normal and the pathologic histology of this duct is indispensable. It is commonly assumed that the cochlear aqueduct is a communicating link between the perilymph and the spinal fluid. The present study was undertaken in order to clarify the histogenesis, the nature and the function of the so-called corpora amylacea of the cochlear aqueduct. Habermann1described these round blue-staining bodies of the cochlear aqueduct as observed in 7 specimens and felt that they originated from the degenerated vessels which later on became encapsulated by connective tissue cells of the arachnoidea. Meurman2gave the same explanation for the formation of these bodies. He found corpora amylacea almost always present in persons over 12 years of age but never in those