Is an intratympanic injection of corticosteroids effective in the treatment of otitis media with effusion?

Abstract

EnAbstract Objectives Chronic otitis media with effusion (OME) is a worldwide major health problem for both children and adults. The aim of this study is to test the effectiveness of intratympanic injection of corticosteroid in the treatment of chronic OME. Study The study was applied on 14 patients (24 ears) who had failed medical treatment and had recurrence after surgery or patients who refused surgical treatment. Methods These patients received 4 intratympanic injections of dexamethasone. Approximately 0.5 ml of dexamethasone was injected in each time. Subjective assessment for symptomatic improvement was done and objective assessment was done by pure tone audiometry and tympanometry 3 months after the last injection. Results At the end of follow up period, no patient had noticeable improvement in hearing, aural fullness nor tinnitus. Also, pure tone audiometry and tympanometry revealed no noticeable improvement in any patient. Conclusion It was found that intratympanic injection of dexamethasone is not effective in management of chronic OME.