부산대학교 도서관

We used the trapezoid rotation test to evaluate vestibular function in guinea pigs. Post-rotatory nystagmus (PRN) was recorded on videotape with an infrared chargecoupled device camera in the dark. We counted the number of PRN beats and calculated the PRN ratio as follows: PRN ratio=the number of PRN beats after rotation contralateral to the treated side/the number of PRN beats after rotation ipsilateral to the treated side. In the control study, we determined the 95% confidence interval for the PRN ratio to be 1.046 ± 0.461.Animals administrated with saline or polyethylene glycol 300 directly to the inner ear by osmotic pump showed no obvious PRN ratio abnormality, while animals, whose lateral semicircular canals were destructed surgically, showed a transient PRN ratio decrease at 3 days after treatment.We concluded that our method is simple and useful to evaluate vestibular function in animal models, furthermore, saline and polyethylene glycol can be used as safe vehicles when we administer various agents directly to the inner ear.