THE BLOOD-VESSELS IN REISSNER MEMBRANE OF THE RAT

Blood vessels on Reissner's membrane were electron-microscopically fou nd in 24 out of 30 rats of the Wistar strain. The vessels were noted i n the upper turns, mainly in the third turn of the cochlea. They origi nated from radiating arterioles in the upper spiral ligament and took straight courses radially down to the spiral limbus, and further to th e modiolus, running along the surface of the scala vestibuli side of t he membrane. Their diameter was approximately 4 mum. Bifurcated blood vessels were occasionally detected in 3 out of the 24 rats that posses sed the vessels in the membrane. From the morphological point of view the blood vessels in Reissner's membrane may possibly have some functi on in the inner ear of the rat.