%0 journal article %@ 2156-7085 %A Hehn, L.,Gradl, R.,Voss, A.,Guenther, B.,Dierolf, M.,Jud, C.,Willer, K.,Allner, S.,Hammel, J.U.,Hessler, R.,Morgan, K.S.,Herzen, J.,Hemmert, W.,Pfeiffer, F. %D 2018 %J Biomedical Optics Express %N 11 %P 5330-5339 %R doi:10.1364/BOE.9.005330 %T Propagation-based phase-contrast tomography of a guinea pig inner ear with cochlear implant using a model-based iterative reconstruction algorithm %U https://doi.org/10.1364/BOE.9.005330 11 %X Propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography has become a valuable tool for visualization of three-dimensional biological samples, due to its high contrast between materials with similar attenuation properties. However, one of the most-widely used phase-retrieval algorithms imposes a homogeneity assumption onto the sample, which leads to artifacts for numerous applications where this assumption is violated. Prominent examples are biological samples with highly-absorbing implants. Using synchrotron radiation, we demonstrate by the example of a guinea pig inner ear with a cochlear implant electrode, how a recently developed model-based iterative algorithm for propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography yields distinct benefits for such a task. We find that the model-based approach improves the overall image quality, removes the detrimental influence of the implant and accurately visualizes the cochlea.