Intratympanic dexamethasone treatment for control of subjective idiopathic tinnitus: our clinical experience.

In this report, we summarize our clinical experience with intratympanic dexamethasone treatment (IDT) for control of tinnitus. From March 2000 through February 2001, we observed 54 patients (23 women, 31 men; mean age, 49.6 +/- 7.2 years; range, 24-71 years) suffering from subjective idiopathic tinnitus (SIT). After common audiological tests had been performed; all patients underwent specific topodiagnostic tests to verify the cochlear SIT genesis. The 50 subjects with positive results from a furosemide test and negative results from caraverine and carbamazepine tests were selected for the IDT, consisting of transtympanic perfusion of 4 mg dexamethasone to the round window via the middle ear. The treatment was repeated three times daily for 3 consecutive months. Its short-term effects were evaluated 2 weeks after the last perfusion. In 17 of 50 of these patients (34%), the SIT disappeared; 20 of the 50 (40%) reported a significant decrease of the symptom; and the remaining 13 of the 50 (26%) did not experience any improvement. Therefore, we believe that IDT represents an effective drug delivery system for SIT control, as long as the condition arises from inner ear disorders only and treatment occurs within 3 months of symptom onset.