FIGURE 1.

Surgical steps and experimental setup. After resection of the auricle, the lateral aspect of the auditory bulla is removed to expose the cochlea (A). The round window niche is identified and a cochleostomy is introduced into the basal turn of the cochlea for subsequent electrode array insertion. In a next step, a bony window is introduced in the second turn of the cochlea (B) for subsequent in vivo microscopy (C); FITC dextran infusion highlights microvessels of the cochlear lateral wall.