The effect of iontophoresis of lignocaine in the treatment of tinnitus.
Lignocaine is the only drug available that suppresses tinnitus when given intravenously, but the mechanism and the site of its action are not well understood. Iontophoresis, a method by which chemical agents may be transported by electrical current from the ear canal throughout the tympanic membrane into the middle ear, could be expected to have a suppressive effect on tinnitus because the drug is brought so close to the cochlea. In the present study none of the 46 patients reported the suppression of tinnitus to a non-annoying level. Neither lignocaine nor any of its metabolites was found in blood sampled during the period of this treatment.
Laffrée
J B
JB
Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Vermeij
P
P
Hulshof
J H
JH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007478:Iontophoresis; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000188:drug therapy*
D008012:Lidocaine