[Effects of intense noise on the statokinetic system of guinea pigs]

The scanning electron microscope and the light microscope were used to examine the inner ear vestibular organs of guinea pigs for structural damages after exposure to continuous intense noise for one hour. The functional test of the vestibular system was assessed with the electronystagmography. The results indicated that vestibular organs could be affected by noise. The sensory cell cilia were mostly damaged or lost in the middle part of the cristae. No remarkable cell alterations were found in the epithelia of the otolithic organs. We also observed that otoconia in the maculae were reduced or missing in the striola regions, and some otoconia in the utricules and saccules were deformed and cracked. The duration and frequency of the nystagmus after rotatory stimulation did not show significant difference before and after the intense noise exposure.