Racial Differences of Pigmentation in the Human Vestibular Organs

ObjectivesMelanin pigmentation is present in the human inner ear. In this study, we quantify the melanin pigmentation in the vestibular system and examine racial differences of vestibular melanin pigmentation using human cadaveric temporal bone specimens.Study DesignBasic research.SettingLaboratory.Subjects and MethodsLight microscopy was used to examine specimens from 40 left temporal bones from the Johns Hopkins Human Temporal Bone Collection. Color images of (1) ampulla of the horizontal canal, (2) utricular wall, (3) endolymphatic duct, and (4) posterior ampullary nerve as it enters the posterior canal were acquired with a digital camera attached to the microscope and image acquisition software. Acquired images of each anatomic area of interest were processed offline through ImageJ. Melanin content was then compared according to ethnicity, age, sex, and location.ResultsFifteen African American and 25 Caucasian specimens were analyzed. Mean age was 68.8 years. African American specimens had a significa...