Inner ear blood flow measured with a laser Doppler system.

Cochlear blood flow was studied in guinea pigs, using a laser Doppler system during exposure to methoxamine hydrochloride and phentolamine hydrochloride, local cooling, or terminal asphyxia. Measurements were made through the intact lateral wall of the first turn of the cochlea. Observed changes in relationship to simultaneous measures of skin blood flow and BP indicated that this system provides a dynamic measure of inner ear blood flow. This technique may provide a strategy to evaluate the role of blood flow in normal and pathologic cochlear function and the utility of presumed cochlear vasoeffective agents proposed for treatment of certain inner ear disorders.