Bone formation in the normal human otic capsule.

Postmoretem examination of undecaicified temporal bones from five patients treated with tetracycline during adult life for unrelated disease showed the uptake of tetracycline label within the endochondral bone the otic capsule. Adult endochondral bone is histologically woven (nonlamellar) in character, and has been assumed to be metabolically inert in the healthy state. The strong perlvascular labelling seen suggests that new bone is normally deposited in the otic capsule and that this new bone is lamellar in character. Continuous new bone formation in the presence of a constant net volume of bone implies that resorption must also occur normally within the otic capsule.