title: The effect of iontophoresis of lignocaine in the treatment of tinnitus.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Laffrée
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vermeij
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hulshof
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D008012:Lidocaine