[Peculiarities in the development of the superior semicircular canal]

Objective: Our objective was to study the ontogeny of the superior semicircular canal in order to describe its peculiarities.

Methods: We analyzed 76 series of human embryos aged between 32 days (6mm) and newborns. The samples were cut serially and stained using Martin's trichrome technique.

Results: In semicircular canal development there were a number of peculiarities, such as: a defined chronological sequence of osteogenesis with a variable rate of ossification; the fact that each nucleus of ossification was involved in the formation of one of its covers (the upper in the superficial and the lower in the deep); the appearance of transitory dehiscence; and canal closure by means of bone with laminar pattern, with a minimum thickness of 0.1mm.

Conclusion: The peculiarities in canal development could explain the origin of pathological dehiscence in the canal, whether congenital or acquired.