Microscopic anatomy of the rat temporal bone

Objective To study the anatomy of the middle and inner ear of Sprague-Dawley rats(S-D rats).Methods Ten healthy adult S-D rats were microdissected.Anatomy of the middle and inner ear was investigated and the samples were photographed at 6-15 × magnification.Results Structures of the middle ear(including the tympanic membrane,ossicular chain,oval window,round window,eustachian tube,facial nerve,etc) and the inner ear(including the cochlea,three semicircular canals,internal auditory meatus,endolymphatic sac,etc) of S-D rats were studied microscopically and compared with their human analogues.Conclusion Substantial similarities were seen between the S-D rat and human ears.Findings would be helpful for researchers to locate the structures of middle or/and inner ears in experiments with S-D rats.