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Published on: January 22, 2010
Perilymphatic fistula in guinea pigs: natural evolution versus surgical treatment
Ektor Tsuneo Onishi1, Yotaka Fukuda
1Federal University of São Paulo - Escola Paulista de Medicina.
Unlabelled:
Perilymphatic fistulas still represent a major treatment challenge. In some cases, its surgical closure can reduce auditory and vestibular sequelae.
Aim:
To compare the behavior of cochlear window perilymphatic fistulas in guinea pigs as to their natural evolution and immediate surgical closure.
Materials And Methods:
Experimental study. Forty guinea pigs were submitted to cochlear window membrane lesion and randomly broken down into two groups: open fistula (OF) and surgically closed fistula (SCF). We found the summation potential (SP) and action potential (AP) latencies and amplitudes and the SP/AP ratio at three times: pre-fistula (PRE), immediate post-fistula (IPF) and late post-fistula (LPF).
Results:
There was a significant drop in amplitudes and raise in SP and AP latencies among the times studied. As to the SP/AP ratios, there was a reduction between PRE and IPF, both were significant. There was no behavior difference between the OF and SCF.
Conclusions:
Within the time frame considered, guinea pigs submitted to cochlear window membrane lesions evolved with a worsening in potentials and latencies. Despite the partial improvement in electrophysiological parameters, surgical closure did not prove statistically more effective than natural evolution.

