Abstract
Silver nitrate staining was successfully used for observing the surface structure of the inner ear tissues. Under pentobarbital anaesthesia (30mg/kg), the experimental animals were decapitated and the temporal bones were removed. The round and oval window was opened. The inner ears were perfused with a 0.2% AgNO3 solution by using a small syringe with low hydrostatic pressure for about 2minutes. For staining the vestibular organs, the bony walls around the stapes were carefully chopped out exposing the saccule, utriculus and the three ampullae of the semicircular canals and the walls of the saccule and utriculus were partly ruptured facilitating the irrigation of the solution. Afterwards the inner ears were washed with distilled water for a few seconds and fixed with 10% formalin. They were reserved at room temperature under fluorescent light (about 20 Lux) for 24 hours. Another reduction method of the silver ions was as follows. After perfusion with a 0.2% AgNO3 solution in the same way, the inner ear, 3 were washed with distilled water and then they were also perf used with a 0.2% NaOH or KOH solution for about 30 seconds and fixed with 10% formalin in a cold and dark chamber.
