Because of the topography of the perilymphatic vascular network, the cochlear microcirculation is especially sensitive to the effect of vasoactive substances reaching the perilymphatic space. The cochlear microcirculation is mainly controlled humorally, via the activity of the metarterioles and changes in the flow properties of the blood. Intracochlear histamine reduces the cochlear circulation even more markedly than after intracarotid administration. No systematic effects of parenteral administration of vasoactive substances can be expected on the cochlear circulation. Reversible auditory disorders after stapedectomy may be explicable by the intracochlear release of histamine. The internal release of histamine after sunstroke and cold stress may play a part in sudden disturbances of hearing.
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