Intratympanic injections or titration is a potential medical therapeutic strategy for patients with incurable
inner ear diseases.
Dexamethasone represent an attractive
steroid source in intratympanic
steroids strategies in the treatment of inner ear disorders. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of intratympanic
dexamethasone injections (IDI) in outpatients with refractory
Meniere's disease (MD). Vestibular function measured by Vestibular Ocular Reflex (VOR) gain and caloric test revealed that 21 outpatients out of 43 (48.8%) had complete sufficient
vertigo control, while 9 (20.9%) of them were attached to fundamental manipulation. Out of the 13 remaining outpatients, 4 (9.3%) had a limit control and 9 had less modification. Therefore, 5 of 9 received re-treatment with IDI and 2 of 9 patients were administered ablative treatment with
gentamicin. Meanwhile, audiology data suggested that 3 (7.0%), 4 (9.3%), 32 (74.4%), 4 (9.3%) patients were attached to the level of A, B, C, D, respectively. Furthermore, the symptom of
tinnitus in 5 outpatients vanished, 21 (48.8%) diminished, 10 (23.3%) invariable, 7 (16.3%) aggravated. In 4 of 24 cases (16.7%), aural fullness disappeared after IDI, when the aural fullness was alleviated in 11 cases (45.8%) even intensive in 9 patients (37.5%). Together, our results demonstrate that intratympanic
dexamethasone injection, as an effective therapeutic strategy for refractory
Meniere's disease, could either be used for cascade
therapy preoperation or used for patients who couldn't accept the surgery.