Role of Intratympanic Dexamethasone for Intractable Posterior Canal Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is a frequent diagnosed disorder, most of the patients are successfully treated with reposition maneuvers. In between 3-12.5% of these patients remain symptomatic. Recent studies support the use of intratympanic corticosteroid for intractable vertigo with promising results.

Patients diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo between June 2017 and December 2019 in a tertiary university hospital and in two private hospitals were included in the study and analyzed prospectively. They were treated and followed with repositioning maneuvers and intratympanic dexamethasone injections if the criteria was met.

4 out 72 patients included in the study developed criteria for intractable vertigo after at least 6 repositioning maneuvers. The posterior semicircular canal was affected in all cases, 3 out of 4 patients experienced symptom resolution, after two, four and five intratympanic dexamethasone injections respectively.

The use of intratympanic steroids to treat patients with refractory benign paroxysmal positional vertigo showed encouraging results. We believe a multicenter randomized clinical trial should be performed to assess the efficacy of intratympanic steroids in the treatment of this pathology.