Pre-operative intravenous dexamethasone prevents auditory threshold shift in a guinea pig model of cochlear implantation.
OBJECTIVE
To protect hearing during cochlear implantation with systemic administration of dexamethasone.


METHODS
Seventeen normal-hearing guinea pigs were randomly allocated to receive an intravenous injection of either normal saline (control), low- (0.2 mg/kg) or high- (2 mg/kg) dose dexamethasone 60 min prior to cochlear implantation. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) threshold shifts (2-32 kHz) were estimated between pre- and 4-week-postoperative levels.


RESULTS
ABR threshold shifts (8-32 kHz) observed in control and low-dose steroid groups were significantly reduced in the high-dose steroid group.


CONCLUSIONS
A single, high-dose injection of intravenous dexamethasone protected hearing during cochlear implantation.
Connolly
Timothy M
TM
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Melbourne, East Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
Eastwood
Hayden
H
Kel
Gordana
G
Lisnichuk
Halina
H
Richardson
Rachael
R
O'Leary
Stephen
S
D000818:Animals; D019929:Cochlear Implantation; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006309:Hearing / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D003907:Dexamethasone