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Middle Ear Gas Exchange in Rhesus Monkeys

The mechanism of gas exchange between the middle ear and tissue is fundamental to understanding middle ear physiology and pathophysiology. In this study, the middle ears of six rhesus monkeys were inflated on separate occasions with nitrogen (N2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and oxygen (O2), and middle ear pressures were recorded at defined times postinflation for up to 4 hours. From these data, rate constants governing the exchange of these gases were estimated and compared to those predicted under both diffusion and perfusion limitations. The results show that the rate constants for middle ear to tissue exchange of O2 and CO2 are consistent with a diffusion-limited process. In contrast, middle ear pressure did not decrease over the study period following introduction of N2 into the middle ear. This is interpretable as a much slower rate of N2 exchange than that predicted by either perfusion or diffusion-limited models calibrated to the O2 and CO2 rate constants. These results have significant implications for middle ear gas exchange and suggest that for relatively short observation periods, the behavior of middle ear pressure is controlled by experimentally established O2 and CO2 gradients.