Histopathologic and experimental models for sensory and neural deafness.

Six selected cases with neonatal and fetal cochlear pathology are presented. Those denoting cochlear sepsis are: H. influenza purulent labyrinthitis, cytomegalovirus endolabyrinthitis, and aseptic meningitis and labyrinthitis. Those denoting cochlear neural aplasia are Goldenhar's syndrome, left-sided cardiac hypoplasia with partial basal turn neural aplasia, and cerebral cortical and ventricular hemorrhage with modiolar extension. These findings are compared to the fluorocitrate ototoxicity model for neural deafness in the guinea pig. This study suggests hypotheses for viral trophism in the inner ear and neural degeneration of the cochlea as mechanisms for sensorineural deafness.