[Oxygen partial pressure measurements in the perilymph and scala tympani in normo- and hyperbaric conditions. An animal experiment study].

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of hyperbaric oxygen on the oxygen tension (pO2) in the normal inner ear. We examined 16 anaesthetised guinea pigs by means of an oxygen-sensitive micro-coaxial needle electrode, using the method described by Baumgaertl and Luebbers. In all animals the pO2 in the perilymph of the scala tympani fell by 34% of the original value during insertion of the sensor into the scala tympani. After we had flooded the hyperbaric chamber with pure oxygen under normobaric conditions the pO2 increased by 244.3% of the original values. Furthermore the pO2 increased by 9.4 times the original values during hyperbaric oxygen at 1.6 bar.