[Relationship between intracochlear oxygen tension and acoustic trauma following explosion]

Perilymphatic oxygen tension of scala tympani (STPO2) in guinea pigs exposed to explosion was measured with polarographic oxygen microelectrode, the relations between either hearing loss or injuries to hair cells and the change in STPO2 were studied. The results showed: 1. Exposure to 10 shots (1 shot/min) of explosion with 141-171dB average peak pressure levels, caused a sharp decline of STPO2. 2. When the decrease of STPO2 exceeded 20%, hearing loss became definitive. The change of STPO2 correlated with the amount of sound exposure and hearing loss as well as injuries to hair cells. 3. After carbogen inhalation, STPO2 quickly increased by nearly 100%.