The efficacy of methylprednisolone acetate nanogel in treating patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Intratympanic injection of methylprednisolone acetate is considered to be one of the effective drugs in the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. In this study, the efficacy of intratympanic injection of methylprednisolone acetate nanogel in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss was investigated. It is a double-blind randomized clinical trial in one of Iran's hospitals. 96 patients diagnosed with sudden sensorineural hearing loss were examined. The intervention group (40 patients) was treated with intratympanic nanogel form of methylprednisolone acetate (four times, one day in between) along with oral prednisolone, and the control group (56 patients) was treated with the usual ampoule form of methylprednisolone acetate along with oral prednisolone. The patients were followed up two weeks and two months after the treatment by checking the audiometric findings. 22.9% of all patients had complete response to treatment and 58.3% partial response to treatment. Complete response to treatment was more common in patients of the intervention group, and non-response to treatment was more common in the control group. The frequency of tinnitus two months after the start of treatment was significantly lower in the intervention group, but the frequency of dizziness was not significantly different between the two groups. In both groups, a significant improvement in audiometric findings was observed after treatment compared to before treatment (p < 0.0001). In both groups, a significant improvement in audiometric findings was observed after treatment compared to before treatment (p < 0.0001), and this improvement rate was slightly higher in the intervention group than in the control group. Combined treatment of systemic steroid with both nanogel and or conventional intratympanic methylprednisolone acetate can be effective in the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, but the effectiveness of the nanogel form of the drug is slightly higher. Therefore, drug transfer based on nanogels can be considered to achieve better treatment results.