Demonstration of intravital microfissures in undecalcified plastic-embedded temporal bones with the prestaining technique

Microfissures in the human otic capsule have been observed since the start of the century, but it was Otto Mayer, in 1930, who first realized that som e of them were of intravital origin and not just processing artifacts. Sinc e then, a small number of publications, based on decalcified temporal bones , have mostly confirmed his findings. With the introduction by Frost in the late 1950s of the undecalcified bone technique and the bulk staining techn ique for peripheral bones, a method was developed and refined for identifyi ng even very small intravital microfissures (microdamage). Bulk staining of undecalcified otic capsules has not yet been used to verify the findings f rom the previous decalcified specimens. The present report presents our exp erience with the pertinent techniques, and suggests modifications and short cuts pertinent to temporal bone research. Both large and tiny microfissures of intravital genesis are demonstrable within bulk-stained undecalcified h uman otic capsules. The importance of microfissures in the petrous bone in the causation of otosclerosis and perilymphatic leakage has long been discu ssed, and the present techniques may advance our understanding of these pat hological conditions.