The doctor injects the medicine into the middle ear which then seeps into the inner ear, providing relief from vertigo symptoms by decreasing the inner ear pressure. Intratympanic steroid and Gentamicin injections are widely used in intractable Meniere’s disease.
Gentamicin is injected in the middle ear leading to chemical labyrinthectomy (meaning, it affects the dark cells in the labyrinth that produce endolymph – inner ear fluid).
Gentamicin decreases the inner ear pressure by reducing the production of endolymph. The doctors perform this procedure under local anaesthesia. This results in reduced frequency and severity of vertigo episodes.
Intratympanic Gentamicin may cause hearing loss in the patient. If the patient already has decreased hearing ability, the procedure may not affect hearing much.
Steroids, such as dexamethasone and methylprednisolone, also may help control vertigo attacks in some people. This procedure is also performed under local anaesthesia. Although steroids may be slightly less effective than gentamicin, it does not affect hearing.