Meniere's disease is a disabling disease of the inner ear causing severe vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss and a feeling of fullness in the ear. Because you cannot predict when you will be unable to function because of the attacks of vertigo, you lose your quality of life. Receiving injections of gentamicin in the inner ear is one option for you to consider so you can resume a fuller life.
Intratympanic/Transtympanic Gentamicin
For the patient who has Meniere's disease and the resulting severe vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus, undergoing an intratympanic gentamicin injection can be a "last resort" treatment when earlier treatments have not helped to resolve the vertigo and nausea. You will have a low dose of Gentamicin injected into your inner ear by way of a narrow needle. The gentamicin injection will damage the inner ear on purpose in order to stop the attacks of vertigo. The doctor will allow the medication to drain out of your ear after 30 minutes.
In order to achieve the goal of eliminating dizziness, your doctor will inject a low dose. A second low dose of gentamicin will be injected one month later. The medication has to be drained out of the inner ear so you will not have dizziness.
Advantages of ITG/TTG Injection
If you are concerned about possible health risks of other procedures, ITG/TTG is a lower risk option. When you choose this procedure, you must understand that your inner ear will be destroyed by the gentamicin injections, but your dizziness will end. Your hearing will not be impacted in the short term, but you may need to have repeat injections approximately one year later. Your tinnitus may also improve.
You may be able to resume a more normal life since your attacks of vertigo will be stopped. Once your vertigo stops, your quality of life may return to what you knew before you developed Meniere's disease.
The cost of ITG/TTG injections will be lower than that of other treatments for Meniere's disease, especially when you compare the results to a procedure such as vestibular nerve section (labyrinthectomy). Both labyrinthectomy and ITG/TTG produce similar results: 90 percent of Meniere's disease patients experience relief from their symptoms.
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