Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006 Feb;26(1):14-9.

Transtympanic steroids in refractory sudden hearing loss. Personal experience

I Dallan  1 , L Bruschini, A Nacci, B Fattorp, A C Traino, F Rognini, G Ferraro, P Bruschini
Affiliations

Transtympanic steroids in refractory sudden hearing loss. Personal experience

I Dallan et al. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2006 Feb.

Abstract
in English, Italian

The treatment of choice for sudden sensorineural hearing loss is still lacking. Many drugs have been used over the years, with varying results and steroids have proven to be effective in clinical trials, albeit systemic administration is associated with untoward side-effects and cannot be used in all patients. The transtympanic approach presents two main advantages: first, it allows higher concentrations in the inner ear environment and, second, it minimizes systemic absorption. Aim of the present investigation was to establish the effectiveness of transtympanic steroid treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss in patients in whom conventional treatment had failed. For this purpose, a prospective, non-randomized study was designed to evaluate hearing improvement in sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients treated with transtympanic steroids. A solution of methyl-prednisolone and sodium bicarbonate was administered, via a transtympanic injection, in 10 patients. Hearing levels were evaluated before treatment and on days 1, 7 and 30, thereafter. Improvement in hearing was observed in 70% of patients, moreover, in patients not usually considered amenable to this kind of treatment. Transtympanic steroid treatment is an effective and safe option for patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss when conventional treatment regimens have failed. Further studies are needed to define the optimal dosage, route of administration and type of steroids.

La terapia ottimale dell’ipoacusia improvvisa non è stata ancora definita. Molti farmaci sono stati utilizzati con diversi risultati ma gli steroidi hanno dimostrato la loro efficacia in trial clinici. Sfortunatamente essi presentano numerosi effetti collaterali e non possono essere utilizzati in tutti i pazienti. La via transtimpanica offre due grandi vantaggi: permette di ottenere concentrazioni elevate di farmaco a livello dell’orecchio interno e di ridurre al minimo l’assorbimento sistemico. Partendo da questi presupposti abbiamo impostato uno studio prospettico non randomizzato per valutare l’efficacia del trattamento steroideo transtimpanico nei pazienti con ipoacusia improvvisa che non avevano risposto alla terapia tradizionale (cortisonici ed emoreologici e.v.). Una soluzione di metil-prednisolone e bicarbonato di sodio è stata iniettata nell’orecchio medio in 10 pazienti. La valutazione audiologica è stata eseguita prima del trattamento e ai giorni 1, 7 e 30 dopo il trattamento. Un miglioramento uditivo è stato ottenuto nel 70% dei pazienti. Per di più questi pazienti sono considerati spesso fuori dalle possibilità terapeutiche. La terapia transtimpanica con steroidi si è dimostrata efficace nei pazienti con ipoacusia improvvisa che non avevano risposto alla terapia tradizionale. Ulteriori studi sono necessari per definire con esattezza il tipo di steroide, il miglior dosaggio e la via di somministrazione ottimale.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Individual PTA for patients receiving transtympanic methyl-prednisolone.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Haberkamp TJ, Tanyeri HM. Management of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Am J Otol 1999;20:587-95. - PubMed
    1. Gianoli GJ, Li JC. Transtympanic steroid for treatment of sudden hearing loss. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2001;125:142-6. - PubMed
    1. Rauch SD. Intratympanic steroids for sensorineural hearing loss. Otolaryngol Clin N Am 2004;37:1061-74. - PubMed
    1. Wilson WR, Byl FM, Laird N. The efficacy of steroids in the treatment of idiopathic sudden hearing loss. A double-blind clinical study. Arch Otolaryngol 1980;106:772-6. - PubMed
    1. Byl FM Jr. Sudden hearing loss: eight years experience and suggested prognostic table. Laryngoscope 1984;94:647-61. - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources