[Local pO2- and pH2-measurements with needle electrodes for the examination of the hydrogen maintenance and microcirculation of the cochleae (author's transl)].

The local partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) and the rate of hydrogen elimination were measured in the three scalae of the basal turn of 28 Guinea-pig cochleae under conditions of normoxia, hyperoxia and hypercapnia and with acoustical stimulation with the needle electrodes developed by Baumgärtl and Lübbers. In the scala tympani a pO2 decrease from the round window toward Corti's organ was registered and pO2 values of over 100 mm Hg were measured near the membrane of the round window and of 10-40 mm Hg near the basilar membrane depending on how deeply the electrode penetrated into the scala tympani. The pO2 profiles were changed or reversed when the animal breathed a mixture of 95% oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide and when the round window membrane was covered with agar-agar or paraffine and exteriorly flooded with nitrogen. Acoustical stimulation with a white noise of 85 dB caused a considerable pO2 drop in the perilymph of the scala tympani while in the endolymph of the scala media we observe only a slight decrease. Intravenous application of dextran of low viscosity leads to a pO2 increase when the original oxygen value in the scala tympani was low. The half-life of hydrogen in the scala tympani amounts to about 4 min. The results permit the conclusion that, in the area of the cochlear basis, Corti's organ receives its oxygen supply via the capillary system as well as via the membrane of the round window.