Ultrastructural changes in the albino guinea pig cochlea at different survival times following cessation of 8-day cisplatin administration

Objective To investigate the effect of cisplatin administration on the ultrastructural morphology of the organ of Corti, stria vascularis and spiral ganglion. Material and Methods Forty-eight guinea pigs were treated with cisplatin by daily i.p. injection at a dose of 1.5 mg/kg for eight consecutive days. Electrocochleography was performed at various survival times after the final application of cisplatin. The cochleae were subsequently examined using electron microscopy. Results Ultrastructural examination corroborated that, in cochlear turns showing complete loss of outer hair cells (OHCs) at the light microscopic level, OHCs were indeed missing and had been completely replaced by supporting cells. OHC loss, the number of affected OHCs and the degree of intracellular pathology in the OHCs in the 1-day, 1-week and 2-week survival groups were considerably higher than in the 4- and 8-week survival groups. All degenerated OHCs demonstrated ultrastructural features commonly associated with necrosis. No morph...