Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol.  2022 Feb;15(1):91-99. 10.21053/ceo.2021.01459.

Effectiveness of Intratympanic Dexamethasone Injection for Tinnitus Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• Chung J
• Lee DY
• Kim JS
• Kim YH

• KMID: 2527117
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21053/ceo.2021.01459

Abstract

Objectives
. Intratympanic dexamethasone injection (ITDI) has been introduced as a treatment option for subjective tinnitus. However, the effects of ITDI on patients with tinnitus remain unclear. In the present systematic review and metaanalysis, we evaluated the effectiveness of ITDI for tinnitus treatment.
Methods
. We searched Medline, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Embase. Four double-blind randomized controlled trials that tested the efficacy of ITDI compared with a placebo were deemed eligible for a quantitative meta-analysis, while four prospective studies and seven retrospective studies reporting the effectiveness of ITDI on tinnitus treatment were included in a qualitative synthesis.
Results
. In the four studies included in the quantitative meta-analysis, ITDI did not show evidence of tinnitus improvement compared with placebo (odds ratio [OR], 1.38; 95% confidence interval, 0.53–3.61). In the 11 studies included in the qualitative synthesis, seven retrospective studies without controls reported rates of tinnitus improvement after ITDI ranging from 35.9% to 91.3%. In the four prospective studies with controls, ITDI seemed to be effective when combined with other drugs for tinnitus treatment.
Conclusion
. ITDI alone did not show a significant effect for treating tinnitus compared with placebo. However, the potential of combination treatment of ITDI with other drugs for tinnitus therapy should be further studied in more systematic research.

Keyword

Tinnitus; Injection; Intratympanic; Steroids; Dexamethasone

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram outlining the study design.

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  Fig. 2. Forest plot of the meta-analysis for intratympanic dexamethasone injection versus placebo. CI, confidence interval.

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  Fig. 3. Forest plot of the meta-analysis for the effectiveness of intratympanic dexamethasone injection in the treatment of acute tinnitus. CI, confidence interval.

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