Hydrogen clearance and cochlear microcirculation at different levels of blood pressure

To study the autoregulative capabilities of the cochlear vessels, hydrogen clearance (HC) measurements were carried out by means of various blood pressure levels in hemorrhagic hypotension. H2-sensitive platinum--needle electrode were applied and a polarographic microanalysis method was used. The measurements were performed in the scala media of anesthetized cats during measuring of blood pressure and blood gases. The statistical analysis of the experimental data shows that the relationship between the HC and aortic blood pressure represents a regression line. According to the regression line the half-life time of HC was delayed for 0.7 min, when the blood pressure was reduced by 10 mm Hg (40-150 mm Hg blood pressure range). This corresponds to a cochlea flow rate of 0.3 ml/100 g/min. By mean aortic blood pressure of 40 mm Hg, the speed of H2 exchange still remains about 50% of the initial clearance. This indicates that the cochlear vessels have autoregulative capability. This autoregulative capability differs from the saturation curves of most autoregulated blood flow in the brain, heart and kidney vessels. These findings are in accordance with the observations of other authors. As our experimental data show, and as long as an analogy can be drawn between man and cat, it is hardly possible to explain that the fall of the blood pressure alone could lead to a disturbance of the oxygen supply to the inner ear, as often discussed in certain inner-ear dysfunctions.