The vascular anatomy of the rat cochlea.

The vascular pattern of the rat cochlea was demonstrated by the aid of Berlin Blue (Prussian Blue) contrast. The vascular anatomy is similar to other mammals. The infrequent occurrence of the vessel of the basilar membrane under the organ of Corti is interesting in respect to its presumed importance for the oxygen supply to the hair cells. In the place where the vessel of the basilar membrane usually lies when present, a large uninjected channel was often seen throughout the cochlea. In the external wall, radiating arterioles supply and collecting venules drain all capillary areas. The vascular pattern of the external wall is well maintained at the basal end but is more sparse in apical parts of the cochlea as in other mammals. The rat cochlea is somewhat more difficult to manipulate than the cochlea in other mammals due to its small size, but the dissection of different parts of the cochlea was achieved without major problems.