Perilymphatic ducts
Ductus perilymphatici
Definition
The perilymphatic duct is a small epithelial-lined/connective tissue-lined channel that extends through the cochlear canaliculus or the cochlear aqueduct in the bony labyrinth of the petrous temporal bone. Just like the canaliculus, it emerges near the scala tympani of the cochlea and drains the cochlear perilymph into the cerebrospinal fluid of the subarachnoid space, in the posterior cranial fossa, near the lateral aspect of the jugular foramen.
The perilymphatic duct acts as a shunt for draining excessive perilymph from the cochlea into the subarachnoid space, thus maintaining the fluid pressure within the inner ear.
References
Gopen, Q., Rosowski, J. and Merchant, S.N. (1997). Anatomy of the normal human cochlear aqueduct with functional implications, in Hearing Research. 107 (1–2); pp. 9-22, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-5955(97)00017-8
Hacking, C. Perilymphatic duct. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 30 Jan 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-66914
Standring, S. and Gray, H. (2016). ‘Chapter 37: External and middle ear’ in Gray’s anatomy The anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. (41st ed.) New York: Elsevier, pp. 626.
