ArticleOtology & neurotology : official publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology2020
3D-Printed Microneedles Create Precise Perforations in Human Round Window Membrane in Situ.
Article in Otology & neurotology : official publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Multimodal Magnetic, Photothermal, Ultrasonic, and Vibrational Actuation of Drug-Loaded Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Enhanced Transport Across Semipermeable Membranes.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Physics-Informed Optimization for the Sub-Feature-Scale Fabrication of Hollow Microneedles via Digital Light Processing.Micromachines · 2026Article
- Interaction-aware dexterous robot for minimally invasive transcanal inner ear interventions.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Microneedle-mediated intracochlear injection safely achieves higher perilymphatic dexamethasone concentration than intratympanic delivery in guinea pig.Drug delivery and translational research · 2025Article
- Round Window Niche and Membrane Dimensions: A Systematic Review.Audiology research · 2025Review
- Polymeric 3D-Printed Microneedle Arrays for Non-Transdermal Drug Delivery and Diagnostics.Polymers · 2025Review
- Feasibility of Round Window Exposure via External Auditory Canal: Classification and Predictive Landmarks.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2025Article
- Formulating biopharmaceuticals using three-dimensional printing.Journal of pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences : a publication of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Societe canadienne des sciences pharmaceutiques · 2024Review
- Precision medicine: a new era for inner ear diseases.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Review
- Three Dimensional Printing and Its Applications Focusing on Microneedles for Drug Delivery.Pharmaceutics · 2023Review
- An optically-guided cochlear implant sheath for real-time monitoring of electrode insertion into the human cochlea.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Pyrolyzed Ultrasharp Glassy Carbon Microneedles.Advanced engineering materials · 2022Article
- Inner Ear Diagnostics and Drug Delivery via Microneedles.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- Advances in microneedle-based transdermal delivery for drugs and peptides.Drug delivery and translational research · 2022Review
- A Window of Opportunity: Perilymph Sampling from the Round Window Membrane Can Advance Inner Ear Diagnostics and Therapeutics.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- Membrane curvature and connective fiber alignment in guinea pig round window membrane.Acta biomaterialia · 2021Article
- Impact of Systemic versus Intratympanic Dexamethasone Administration on the Perilymph Proteome.Journal of proteome research · 2021Article
- Translation of Polymeric Microneedles for Treatment of Human Diseases: Recent Trends, Progress, and Challenges.Pharmaceutics · 2021Review
- Simulation assisted design for microneedle manufacturing: Computational modeling of two-photon templated electrodeposition.Journal of manufacturing processes · 2021Article
- Novel 3D-printed hollow microneedles facilitate safe, reliable, and informative sampling of perilymph from guinea pigs.Hearing research · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
hypothesisThree-dimensional (3D)-printed microneedles can create precise holes on the scale of micrometers in the human round window membrane (HRWM).
backgroundAn intact round window membrane is a barrier to delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents into the inner ear. Microperforation of the guinea pig round window membrane has been shown to overcome this barrier by enhancing diffusion 35-fold. In humans, the challenge is to design a microneedle that can precisely perforate the thicker HRWM without damage.
methodsBased on the thickness and mechanical properties of the HRWM, two microneedle designs were 3D-printed to perforate the HRWM from fresh frozen temporal bones in situ (n = 18 total perforations), simultaneously measuring force and displacement. Perforations were analyzed using confocal microscopy; microneedles were examined for deformity using scanning electron microscopy.
resultsHRWM thickness was determined to be 60.1 ± 14.6 (SD) μm. Microneedles separated the collagen fibers and created slit-shaped perforations with the major axis equal to the microneedle shaft diameter. Microneedles needed to be displaced only minimally after making initial contact with the RWM to create a complete perforation, thus avoiding damage to intracochlear structures. The microneedles were durable and intact after use.
conclusion3D-printed microneedles can create precise perforations in the HRWM without damaging intracochlear structures. As such, they have many potential applications ranging from aspiration of cochlear fluids using a lumenized needle for diagnosis and creating portals for therapeutic delivery into the inner ear.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.