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Intratympanic drug administration, i.e. injection into the middle ear, in ear diseases that may lead to hearing loss was firstly started for the treatment of Ménière’s disease.
During intratympanic injection of drug into the middle ear, the drug is absorbed through the round window by diffusion and penetrates into the inner ear. The amount and content of medication that has been used in intratympanic steroid administration applied to patients with sudden hearing loss for approximately 20 years may vary depending on the patient and her/his disease. The direct intratympanic injections into the middle ear increases the efficiency of the treatment.
Hearing loss, which occurs unexpectedly in a person who does not have a problem of hearing function and generally lasts less than 72 hours, is defined as “sudden hearing loss”. This disease, which can be diagnosed as a result of audiological, biochemical and vestibular system tests and radiological examinations, should be treated immediately.
The newest method developed for the treatment of patients with sudden hearing loss is intratympanic steroid injections. The early treatment of sudden hearing loss is very important for resolving the problem; but, it is possible to treat with intratympanic injections in cases of delayed treatment. Successful results can be obtained thanks to the delivery of drugs determined specifically for patients to the middle ear via injection, and passing it from the middle ear to the inner ear.
Intratympanic injections, which can be administered safely to people of all ages, are becoming widespread all over the world because they can be completed in a short time and provide successful results.
Intratympanic steroids can be safely applied in diseases such as Ménière’s disease, tinnitus, vertigo and sudden hearing loss.
Although there are different protocols in the treatment of patients with sudden hearing loss, the most accepted one is the systemic corticosteroid therapy which I also apply to my patients. Intratympanic Steroid administration is an auxiliary and very useful application in addition to systemic corticosteroid therapy for sudden hearing loss.
I initially anesthetize the ear regions of my patients with a spray after I decide to treat them with intratympanic steroids in line with the examinations and the test results I have performed. I perform their ear cleaning and then inject the drugs that are specially determined for the health problems of my patients with the help of a special syringe, which is expressed as syringe with dental needle, through the eardrum to the middle ear.
Intratympanic steroid administration may exhibit high success rate in patients with impaired health and decreased quality of life due to sudden hearing loss, tinnitus that does not respond to treatment, and Ménière’s disease that does not respond to medical treatments. However, the drug to be injected during the procedure needs to be planned in line with the patients as with all other treatments.
Op. Dr. Hünkar BatıkhanKulak Burun Boğaz Hastalıkları Uzmanı