modiolus
- noun
- /ˈmoʊdiələs/
- Specialized
- In the cochlea, the modiolus serves as the central bony support around which the auditory canals are shaped.
Examples
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The row of shortest stereocilia is located toward the modiolus in the center of the spiral, while the row of longest stereocilia is located toward the lateral wall of the spiral.
Academic text (1998) -
The hallmark of this pathology was the dilation of the cochlea and the absence of the modiolus on high-resolution CT of the temporal bone.
Academic text (2007) -
B: Axial CTs (top row) of the temporal bones demonstrate a normal internal auditory canal and modiolus.
Academic text (2005) -
The patient underwent a translabyrinthine excision of the lesion, which was located on a superior vestibular nerve, extending inferiorly to the area of the cochlear modiolus.
Academic text (2010) -
Researchers found that the modiolus plays a crucial role in the auditory system's structure and function.
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During the surgery, the surgeon carefully navigated around the modiolus to avoid damaging the nearby auditory structures.
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word modiolus comes from the Latin word modius, which meant 'a measure' and later 'the hub of a wheel'. So in anatomy the modiolus is the little 'hub' or central pillar of the cochlea, the point around which the inner ear's spiral turns.
