Effect of anesthesia on transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in humans: a comparison between propofol and isoflurane

The influence of general anesthesia (GA) on auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) has been widely studied in humans whereas few studies have been devoted as yet to its effect on cochlear micromechanical properties. This study was aimed at evaluating: (1) the effect of GA on transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) in humans (n=10), and (2) to compare the effects induced by two different anesthetic agents: propofol (n=5) and isoflurane (n=5). The TEOAEs were continuously monitored together with hemodynamic patterns describing various measures of blood pressure. (1) The GA induced a decrease in TEOAE amplitude and TEOAE amplitude was significantly correlated with the hemodynamic patterns. (2) Both anesthetic agents were responsible for a decrease in TEOAE during the first 20 min of recording. Under propofol, TEOAE amplitude increased after 20 min whereas under isoflurane TEOAEs continued to decrease. Under propofol, TEOAE amplitude was correlated with blood pressure changes in a highly significant manner, whereas under isoflurane TEOAE levels were completely independent of such hemodynamic patterns. These results infer that (1) the GA induced a decrease in TEOAE amplitude, and that (2) TEOAE changes induced by propofol could depend on the concomitant hemodynamic changes whereas isoflurane could be responsible for TEOAE changes depending on both, hemodynamic changes and its own pharmacological properties.