Background: Ménière's disease (MD), characterized by episodic vertigo attacks and fluctuating progressive hearing loss, is treated by low-dose intratympanic gentamicin (ITG) injections. Whether ITG causes hearing loss is controversial, and knowledge about its effects on the contralateral hearing and vestibular function is lacking.
Aims/objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effect of ITG on bilateral auditory and otolith organ function in patients with unilateral refractory MD.
Material and methods: The data of 30 patients was collected, including history, and pure tone audiometry and vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) results before and one month after ITG treatment. Changes in vertigo were assessed at a two-year follow-up.
Results: One month after ITG injection, auditory thresholds between 125 Hz and 8 kHz on the injection side remained unchanged but have improved on the contralateral side at 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 1 kHz. The cervical and ocular VEMP solicitation rates on the injection side were lower than before the injection. Two years after treatment, vertigo was improved in 88.5% and complete controlled in 76.7% patients respectively.
Conclusions and significance: The intractable vertigo of MD can be effectively controlled by ITG injection. This can improve the low and medium frequency hearing level in the contralateral ear, suggesting that it might help prevent contralateral MD occurrence.
Keywords: Ménière’s disease; audiometry; gentamicin; injection; intratympanic; vestibular evoked myogenic potentials.