Objective: To investigate the relationship of development of cochlear nerve and inner ear in children with congenital sensorineural hearing and to explore the relationships of between development of cochlear nerve with the internal auditory canal size and patients' age. Methods: MR examinations were performed in 43 children with profoundly sensorineural hearing loss and 12 normal hearing children on Siemens 3.0T. T2-SPACE sequence was scanned and used to evaluate. Transverse diameter, cross-sectional surface, perimeter of cochlear nerve and transverse diameter, vertical diameter of internal auditory canal measurements were performed on T2-SPACE in the 3 group of children (group I, II, III). The 3 group were 27 children The study included with normal inner ear morphology(group I), 16 children with SNHL and abnormal inner ear morphology(group II), and 12 children with normal hearing(group III). Paired t-test was used to compare the left and right side indicators of CN and IAC. LSD test were used to compare cochlear nerve among three groups. Pearson correlation method was used to study the relationship between cochlear nerve and the age and size of the internal auditory canal. Results: No significant differences were found for diameter, cross-sectional area, perimeter and cross-sectional diameter of cochlear nerve and internal auditory canal between left and right side in all three groups.(P > 0.001). All parameters of CN an IAC had no relationship with age. Cochlear nerve diameter 3 study of three groups, there was significant difference (P < 0.001) cross-sectional area and the cross-sectional perimeter. Group I, II group of congenital sensorineural hearing loss in children with cochlear nerve diameter, smaller than the cross-sectional area and the perimeter of the cross section III control groups; I group II group larger than the cochlear nerve. There was a linear relationship between the three indicators of CN and vertical diameter of IAC in group I. There was also a linear relationship between perimeter of CN and vertical diameter of IAC in group II. Conclusions: This study found that there was no relationship between CN and age in all the children. Inner ear development will affect the development of the auditory nerve. IAC stenosis cannot indicate CN deficiency.
