The effect of methylprednisolone on acoustic trauma.

The effect of methylprednisolone (mPSL) upon acoustic trauma was studied using albino guinea pigs which were exposed to 2 kHz pure tone of 110, 115 or 120 dB SPL for 10 min. After the exposure to intense sound, mPSL of 6, 12 or 40 mg/kg was intraperitoneally given daily for 7 days and the threshold of the compound action potential (CAP) was examined on the 8th day. Compared with CAP of the control animals given physiological saline solution, no significant difference was observed in the CAP threshold shift between the mPSL group and the controls following exposures to the sound of 115 and 120 dB SPL, respectively. However, when the animals were exposed to the sound of 110 dB SPL, the CAP threshold shift was significantly smaller in the mPSL animals than in the controls. The present results indicate that mPSL possesses a therapeutic effect in cases of mild acoustic overstimulation.