MR Microscopy in Studying the Development of the Chick Inner Ear

Jerod Rasmussen¹, Vinod Kaimal², Scott K. Holland³, Jaye Ward³, Daniel Choo³

Advancing our understanding of inner ear morphogenesis is essential to comprehension of and strategies for managing congenital hearing loss. This study investigates the feasibility of visualizing development through embryological time points using MR microscopy as a non-invasive and non-terminal imaging modality. High resolution 3D fast spin echo and steady state imaging sequences were utilized to investigate the spatial and temporal resolution limits respectively. High spatial resolution images were obtained using deceased in ovo embryos at varying embryonic stages to simulate a longitudinal study. A single embryo was imaged to examine range of motion at high temporal resolution in vivo.