Artikel
Observations on normal and degenerated human otoconia
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Veröffentlicht: | 15. April 2013 |
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Gliederung
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Introduction: Otoconia are an important part of the sensory epithelium of the otolith organs, utricle and saccule. They represent a movable mass layer above the sensory epithelium to allow the otolith system to recognize linear acceleration in three dimensions and head tilts in relation to gravity.
The exact morphology and functional aspects of the otoconia in humans is currently poorly examined.
Methods: Human otoconia were extracted and examined by electron microscopy.
Results: Otoconia have a different size of about 1–20 µm, a crystalline structure with a cylindrical body and each three rhombohedral faces at the ends. In human specimens normal and several stages of otoconial degeneration occur.
Conclusions: Human otoconia can be extracted from human specimens for further examination. It is assumed that degenerated otoconia play a role in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
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