Circulatory disturbance of the cochlear spiral modiolar artery in a type 2 diabetic mouse model.

Objective: This study aimed to identify significant differences in cochlea microvessel size between a diabetic mouse model (db/db) and normal mice using three-dimensional (3D) quantitative analysis.

Methods: Six control heterozygote db/+ as well as 18 male B6/BKS(D)-Lepr/J (db/db) mice aged 14 ( = 9) and 28 ( = 9) weeks were examined. After clearing the cochlea, we reconstructed the 3D volumes of the spiral modiolar artery (SMA) in the cochlea using light-sheet microscopy and analyzed vessel wall thickness, cross-sectional area, short and long diameter, and vessel height.