American ENT surgeon, Professor John Oghalai has received funding for a groundbreaking research project to use equipment normally used in eyecare to image the cochlea.
He hopes his project on OCT (optical coherence tomography) imaging of the human inner ear will bring researchers and clinicians closer to a better understanding of how the cochlea works by looking at tissues in the inner ear, producing higher-resolution images than ultrasound.
OCT enables imaging of tissues and cells in the inner ear through the dense bone that surrounds it, making it a safe option with no risk to hearing or balance, Prof Oghalai said.
HIs main goal is to get his team’s OCT device out into clinics so it can be used by clinicians as a diagnostic tool fitted onto an operating microscope during surgery.
Specifically, he hopes it will lead to better understanding of underlying pathology of Meniere’s disease, sudden hearing loss caused by sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), cochlear hydrops, autoimmune inner ear disease, and vestibular schwannoma tumors.
Prof Oghalia is professor and chair of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and the Leon J. Tiber and David S. Alpert Chair in Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, and also majored in electrical engineering as an undergraduate.
He said the pathology of these conditions was poorly understood.
Because the cochlea is where hearing loss originates, a better understanding of how the cochlea works could also help scientists figure out how to prevent hearing loss from worsening and how to restore hearing for as many patients as possible, he said.
What is OCT?
OCT is a medical imaging technique, specifically used in ophthalmology and optometry, which is a non-invasive scan that produces detailed 3D images of the back of the eye, including the retina and optic nerve.
This allows practitioners to visualise the layers of the eye and detect abnormalities or changes related to eye conditions.
He received a National Institutes of Health Research Project (R01) grant, the NIH’s most common grant program for independent research.
“Currently, CT and MRI scans can give clinicians a picture of the gross structures of the inner ear, but they provide little information on the more delicate tissues that make up these structures, and invasive procedures like surgery can carry with them a variety of risks,” Prof Oghalia said on the Keck USC website.
“Optical coherence tomography (OCT), on the other hand, is a non-invasive imaging technique that uses low power laser light to capture high-resolution, 3D images, making it an ideal option for further research.”
When Prof Oghalai was assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, he met Dr Brian Applegate, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Texas A&M University, now Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and Biomedical Engineering at University of Southern California, who was using lasers to image the eye.
They collaborated on using OCT to look at the deeper structures of the ear and over the past decade they have used it for their research to image the inner ear in mice, guinea pigs, gerbils, and chickens.
Previous research techniques required making a hole in the bone for a direct view which often caused hearing loss, they said.
OCT enabled imaging of tissues and cells in the inner ear through the dense bone that surrounds it, making it a safe option with no risk to hearing or balance.
Images taken during surgery
This laid the groundwork for Prof Oghalai’s research proposal to use OCT to image the human inner ear by fitting a device onto an operating microscope so it can be easily used during surgery.
This takes a stack of images in less than one minute so the time a patient is under anesthesia is not unduly extended.
In 2017, after seven years as a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Oghalai moved to USC to become chair of the Caruso Department of Otolaryngology at the Keck School of Medicine.
“I saw moving from Stanford to USC as a tremendous opportunity. The auditory research group was incredible, and there was a significant endowment designated to grow the research to cure hearing loss,” he said.
“The clinical faculty were also excellent, and there were a lot of opportunities to grow satellite clinics throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Finally, the training programs are very strong, including the otolaryngology residency and the medical school.”
More reading
Study finds new OCT otoscope enhances diagnosis of ear disease
Researchers discover how the inner ear is formed
Meniere’s disease patient Stephen Spring and surgeon Bill Gibson develop animation
