Efficacy of intratympanic injection of Dexamethasone and Triamcinolone on SSNHL

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of intratympanic injection of dexamethasone and triamcinolone on sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Methods: In this study 60 patients with SSNHL were divided into two groups of Dexamethasone 8 mg and Triamcinolone 40 mg. Patients in both groups underwent five injections. Hearing status of the two groups was recorded one day before each injection as well as one week and one month after the last injection at different frequencies. Any possible complications following the injection, such as infection and tympanic membrane perforation was evaluated and recorded. Results: The results showed that after the first and second injection, there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding hearing frequency and speech discrimination score (SDS). Significant differences were observed between the two groups in the third and fourth injections at a frequency of 500 Hz and also in the fifth injection at frequencies of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz. Tympanic membrane perforation was observed in three patients in the dexamethasone group (P.value>0.05). Conclusion: In our study, the effect of triamcinolone was found to be significantly better than dexamethasone in the treatment of SSHNL at lower frequencies. The SDS was also higher in the triamcinolone group than dexamethasone. Based on our results, intratympanic injection of both triamcinolone and dexamethasone are safe and effective treatments for the treatment of SSNHL, but given its desirable medicinal properties, intratympanic injection of triamcinolone can be a safe and effective alternative for SSNHL treatment.