The blood supply to the cochlea comes exclusively from which artery?

• A Posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA)
• B Posterior auricular artery
• C Middle meningeal artery
• D Anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) via the labyrinthine artery ✓

Explanation

The cochlea and labyrinth receive blood supply exclusively from the labyrinthine artery (internal auditory artery), which arises most commonly from the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) and occasionally directly from the basilar artery. Because the labyrinthine artery is an end-artery with no collateral supply, any compromise (thrombosis, embolism, vasospasm) causes sudden irreversible sensorineural hearing loss. This explains why sudden SNHL can be the first sign of vertebrobasilar ischemia.

Reference: Dhingra Diseases of Ear, Nose and Throat, 7th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.