Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026
Cochlear Implantation in the Guinea Pig
Published on: June 15, 2018
Pre-operative intravenous dexamethasone prevents auditory threshold shift in a guinea pig model of cochlear
Timothy M Connolly1, Hayden Eastwood, Gordana Kel
1Department of Otolaryngology, University of Melbourne, East Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
Aim:
To protect hearing during cochlear implantation with systemic administration of dexamethasone.
Methods:
Seventeen normal-hearing guinea pigs were randomly allocated to receive an intravenous injection of either normal saline (control), low- (0.2 mg/kg) or high- (2 mg/kg) dose dexamethasone 60 min prior to cochlear implantation. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) threshold shifts (2-32 kHz) were estimated between pre- and 4-week-postoperative levels.
Results:
ABR threshold shifts (8-32 kHz) observed in control and low-dose steroid groups were significantly reduced in the high-dose steroid group.
Conclusions:
A single, high-dose injection of intravenous dexamethasone protected hearing during cochlear implantation.
