CT-Scan sheep and human inner ear morphometric comparison

SummaryIntroductionStudies about the use of sheep in surgical training and experimental otologic surgery are rare. This study intends to contribute to the knowledge on this field.AimTo study sheep inner ear structures using computerized tomography and serial cross-sections to collect more accurate morphometric data to compare sheep and human ears.Material and methodsThis descriptive study compared the inner structures of sheep and human ears. Measurements were made using computerized tomography, and they were stored in a DICOM compact disc for later analysis and manipulation, with a program used for medical image analysis (Osíris 4.16).ResultsMean measures for sheep and human ears were found to be similar in this morphological study. Most structures (10 out of 15) maintained the 2/3 ratio of sheep to human ear.ConclusionThe results of this morphometric study of sheep ear are an important contribution to the development of an animal model to be used for surgical training and experimental otologic surgeries.