Three-dimensional terahertz near-field imaging evaluation of cochlea

Hearing impairment has long been a significant challenge, and the ability to perform non-destructive detection of the cochlea’s internal structure with sufficient spatial resolution remains a key obstacle. To address this issue effectively, in this study, non-destructive terahertz (THz) imaging of a mouse cochlea was successfully performed to visualize its internal structure using a THz near-field point source microscope with micrometer-level spatial resolution. Internal structural information was easily observed and extracted from two-dimensional THz time-domain images using an unsupervised learning algorithm that applied k -means clustering. Three-dimensional (3D) THz time-of-flight (ToF) imaging and 3D reconstruction were successfully implemented with high reliability and accuracy. These results demonstrate the significant potential of 2D and 3D THz imaging for high-resolution and non-destructive analysis of cochlear inner structures and highlight the feasibility of advanced THz imaging techniques in biological studies. This work is significant because it motivates both the application of imaging in 3D THz ToF and the internal structure reconstruction of biological tissues, paving the way for future applications in medical diagnostics, particularly in the early detection and assessment of hearing-related disorders.