Dose-dependent inner ear changes after i.v. administration of cisplatin

The effect on the cochlear and vestibular surface structures in the inner ear of guinea pigs receiving different doses of cisplatin was studied in three groups of animals. A semi-quantitative analysis showed that cisplatin induced outer hair cell (OHC) damage which developed over days, was dose-dependent and that repeated intraperitoneal injections of a low dose of cisplatin caused OHC changes comparable to a single intravenous injection. The range of OHC damage varied generally between the three rows of OHCs, but in the most severely damaged cochleas the changes were equally distributed between the rows in the basal turn. The inner hair cells (IHCs) and sensory cells of the vestibular end organ were unaffected up to five days after an intravenous injection of cisplatin.