Endolymphatic sac
From the posterior wall of the saccule a canal, the ductus endolymphaticus, is given off; this duct is joined by the ductus utriculosaccularis, and then passes along the aquaeductus vestibuli and ends in a blind pouch, the endolymphatic sac, on the posterior surface of the petrous portion of the temporal bone, where it is in contact with the dura mater. Studies suggest that the endolymphatic duct and endolymphatic sac perform both absorptive and secretory [1][2][3][4], as well as phagocytic [5] and immunodefensive,functions [6].
References
- ^ Schuknecht HF. Pathology of the Ear. Philadelphia, Pa: Lea & Febiger; 1993:45–47, 50–51, 62, 64, 101
- ^ Wackym PA, Friberg U, Bagger-Sjo¨ba¨ck D, Linthicum FH Jr,Friedmann I, Rask-Andersen H. Human endolymphatic sac: possible mechanisms of pressure regulation. J Laryngol Otol 1987; 101:768–779
- ^ Yeo SW, Gottschlich S, Harris JP, Keithley EM. Antigen diffusion from the perilymphatic space of the cochlea. Laryngoscope 1995; 105:623–628
- ^ Rask-Andersen H, Danckwardt-Lilliestrom N, Linthicum FH, House WF. Ultrastructural evidence of a merocrine secretion in the human endolymphatic sac. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1991; 100:148–156
- ^ Fukuzawa K, Sakagami M, Matsunaga T, Fujita H. Endocytotic activity of the free floating cells and epithelial cells in the endolymphatic sac: an electron microscopic study. Anat Rec 1991; 230:425–433
- ^ Wackym PA, Friberg U, Linthicum FH Jr, et al. Human endolymphatic sac: morphologic evidence of immunologic function. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1987;96:276–282
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This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.