Experimental alteration of physiological state of inner ear fluids

Mechanisms of endolymphatic hydrops formation in the inner ear are not yet fully understood. The available knowledge of the composition and the function of inner ear fluids, of mechanisms for maintenance of microhomeostasis, and the possible factors responsible for hydrops formation were reviewed. The nature of the functional barrier systems of the inner ear was investigated by measuring the amount of intravenously or intracisternally injected test substances which entered the perilymph. Based on studies of the osmotic relationship between the blood and the perilymph, an hypothesis of hydrops formation is proposed. The hypothesis predicts an osmotic imbalance, resulting from an upset of the homeostasis between the fluid compartments and the tissues of the inner ear, as a factor responsible for endolymphatic hydrops formation. An osmotic imbalance can be induced by various experimental conditions including metabolic disorders. The results of animal experiments strongly suggest the necessity of further survey of metabolic imbalance in Ménière's patients.