Cis-platin ototoxicity in previously noise-exposed guinea pigs

The ototoxic effect of Cis-platin on guinea pigs was assessed with frequency-specific brainstem audiometry in the frequency range 0.8-20 kHz. The animals had a noise-induced hearing loss in one ear before Cis-platin treatment. The loss of threshold showed a large inter-individual variability, with a rapid increase above a hypothetic threshold dose. In the noise-exposed ear the total loss was larger, but the additional ototoxic effect was smaller than on the non-exposed side. The hearing loss was independent of pigmentation. in conclusion, there is no potentiation between noise-induced hearing loss and Cis-platin. The data support regular audiometric control before and during Cis-platin treatment for easy detection of incipient hearing loss, before the speech frequency range is affected.