Stria vascularis of cochlear duct

The upper portion of the spiral ligament contains numerous capillary loops and small blood vessels, and is termed the stria vascularis. It produces endolymph for the scala media, one of the three fluid-filled compartments of the cochlea. The stria vascularis has a pseudostratified columnar vascularized epithelium with melanocytes, which help maintain the high potassium concentration of the endolymph.