简介:Thereareseveralchallengestoinnereardrugdeliveryandimagingduetotheexistenceoftightbiologicalbarrierstothetargetstructureandthedensebonesurroundingit.Advancesinimagingandnanomedicinemayprovideknowledgeforovercomingtheexistinglimitationstoboththediagnosisandtreatmentofinnereardiseases.Noveltechniqueshaveimprovedtheefficacyofdrugdeliveryandtargetingtotheinnerear,aswellasthequalityandaccuracyofimagingthisstructure.Inthisreview,wewilldescribethepathwaysandbiologicalbarriersoftheinnerearregardingdrugdelivery,thebeneficialapplicationsandlimitationsoftheimagingtechniquesavailableforinnerearresearch,thebehaviorofengineerednanomaterialsininnerearapplications,andfutureperspectivesfornanomedicine-basedinnerearimaging.