Animal ototoxicity of topical antibiotics and the relevance to clinical treatment of human subjects.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature on animal ototoxicity from ototopical medications. A secondary objective was to assess the relevance of animal data to the use of ototopical drops in clinical situations involving humans.

STUDY

DESIGN

We performed a MEDLINE search of the published literature using appropriate search terms to identify pertinent articles, which were reviewed, summarized, and tabulated.

RESULTS

One hundred seventy-three articles were reviewed; 61 articles were appropriate to the study question and were further analyzed.

CONCLUSIONS

Virtually all studies demonstrate that aminoglycoside antibiotics, when applied topically into the middle ear space, are ototoxic in experimental animals.