Effect of glycerol on pressure difference between perilymph and endolymph.

The pressure difference between the perilymph and the endolymph following administration of 50% glycerol (12 ml/kg) was studied in guinea pigs. The perilymphatic and endolymphatic pressures were measured simultaneously with two sets of a servo-nulling system. Glycerol was administered for about one minute via a gastrocatheter. Both the perilymphatic and endolymphatic pressures began to decrease about 5 min after the administration of glycerol, and thereafter the decrease continued for about one hour with no significant difference between the two pressures. We concluded from the results that the glycerol-induced pressure difference between the perilymph and the endolymph, if present, is only a very small one, although a collapse of the scala media after glycerol intake was reported in guinea pigs and chinchillas.