Gentamicin Cures Vertigo, but What Happens to Hearing?

Instillation of gentamicin in the middle ear to cure severe Meniere's disease is of considerable value in the control of vertigo. The drug causes diminished endolymph production and, most often, a peripheral vestibular loss. After vestibular rehabilitation, led by a physiotherapist, the ataxia should be resolved as a result of central compensation. Fifteen to twenty percent of the patients experience an added hearing loss in the treated ear, although this percentage is reduced if the treatment is given as a single instillation on 2 consecutive days. Using this strategy, the mean added hearing loss for the treated group is zero. There is no correlation between the pretreatment hearing level and the added hearing loss.