INTRATYMPANIC THERAPIES FOR INNER EAR DISORDERS 

Otorinolaringologia 2010 September;60(3):145-53

Copyright © 2010 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Intratympanic steroids for sudden sensorineural hearing loss. A review

Jeremic G., Parnes L. S.

Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada

Background/Aim. Local steroid treatment via intratympanic injection has been suggested to achieve a significant rate of hearing improvement in cases of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). The aim of this study was to review the current evidence for and future direction of intratympanic steroid (ITS) therapy.
Methods. PubMed and Ovid Medline databases were investigated from 1966 to present for clinical trials on ITS in the treatment of Idiopathic SSNHL. Studies were evaluated based on comparability, and internal and external validity.
Results. Thirty-four studies were identified in total. Only two studies were double-blinded, randomized prospective trials. Overall, there were variable definitions of disease and improvement, steroid doses, pre-study treatments, and treatment protocols.
Conclusion. There are limited concrete studies on ITS that meet the criteria of comparability, internal validity, and external validity. More research is needed using uniform, standardized definitions and protocols to determine the efficacy of ITS for treatment of idiopathic SSNHL.