%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.