The effect of cervical sympathectomy on cochlear electrophysiology

The purpose of this study was to examine the electrophysiologic responens to sound from guinea pig cochleas, 3-6 days after a unilateral cervical sympathec-tomy. After recovery from surgery the guinea pigs developed a Horner's syndrome on the sympathectomized side. Some days later their bullas were opened and electrodes were placed bilaterally on the round windows. Most of the sympathectomized cochleas showed signs of decreased sensitivity to sound. They had a smaller dynamic range for the click- and tone-burst evoked compound action potential (CAP) compared with the non-sympathectomized cochleas. The threshold sound levels for the CAPs and the sound levels to produce 1 μV of cochlear microphonic potentials were unaffected. In other animals with chronic implanted electrodes, the same electrical responses were measured with only light sedation before and after sympa-thectomy and showed the same results. In additional animals the crossed olivocochlear bundle (COCB) was electrically stimulated and a similar inhibition of the CAP was registered on both the intact and the sympathectomized side.