Change of contralateral inner ear after endolymphatic sac immune injury

Abstract

Bilateral endolymphatic hydrops after unilateral endolymphatic sac (ES) immune injury were investigated using a graphic analyzer over a 3-week period. Fifty-one Hartley guinea pigs were used in this study. Twenty-eight animals were induced immune injury after keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) secondary challenge into the right ES (KLH group). Fourteen animals underwent sham operation using PBS instead of KLH (PBS group) and 9 animals were used as non-surgical control (control group).
Control and PBS groups showed neither the histological changes nor the significant differences between the bilateral endolymphatic space area. In KLH group, endolymphatic hydrops and a massive cell infiltration within the ES in the right inner ear were observed on days 1-7. The inflammation and the hydrops were gradually decreased on days 14-21. On the other hand, the remarkable change of the contralateral left endolymphatic space compared with the right ear space were observed without cell infiltration on days 14-21. The above results suggested that unilateral immune injury in the ES could induce the change of the endolymphatic space in the contralateral inner ear.