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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2007 Feb 28.
Published in final edited form as: Volta Rev. 2005;105(3):277–298.

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Schematic of the important processes involved in the distribution of drugs in the ear following local application. The cochlea is shown uncoiled with scala vestibuli (SV) and scala tympani (ST) shown in white and the endolymphatic space (ELS) shown shaded. Communication with the middle ear and ST occurs via the round window (RW) membrane. Spaces of the vestibule communicate with SV. Communication between ST and SV can occur either via the ELS or through the extracellular spaces of the spiral ligament (SL). Substances are spread along the scalae by diffusion, some of which may be lost to the vascular system, a process known as clearance.