Are There Any Systemic Effects of the Intratympanic Administration of Dexamethasone?

Objective:Systemic absorption of steroids is reasonable because of the lipophilic nature of steroids and high vascularity of the middle ear mucosa. To date, however, of the clinical trials designed to investigate this subject, to the best of our knowledge, none has been based on objective methods. This study aims to demonstrate whether the intratympanic administration of dexamethasone has any systemic effects.Methods:Seventeen patients had a total of five sessions of intratympanic dexamethasone treatment scheduled for every other day. The mean fasting blood glucose, serum cortisol, serum adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), and arterial blood pressure values of the patients were checked at each session before and after drug application.Result:There were no statistically significant differences identified between the pre- and post-treatment fasting blood glucose, serum cortisol, serum ACTH, and mean arterial blood pressure.Conclusion:This study shows that intratympanic steroids have no noticeable systemic steroidal side effects and are therefore safe to use; however, caution should be taken with patients suffering from diabetes mellitus, and they should be closely monitored.