Intratympanic Lidocaine as a Potent Remedy for Tinnitus in Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

[LBE]

→ Intratympanic Lidocaine as a Potent Remedy for Tinnitus in Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial

This research was published this month. What I've read here and elsewhere suggests that tinnitus switches from being ear-centered to brain-centered at some point; is it possible that injections like this might make the transition less likely?

If I had read this two and a half years ago, I would have made even more effort (and I tried quite a bit) to find someone who could administer these injections. I recently got COVID-19 for the second time and am now dealing with additional hearing loss and louder, more reactive tinnitus. I'm currently looking for someone willing to administer the shots.

I'm curious about what others think and whether anyone knows of doctors or clinics offering this treatment.

 

[Nick47]

switches from being ear-centered to brain-centered at some point; is it possible that injections like this might make the transition less likely?

You say that, but then why do cochlear implants or electrical stimulation of the cochlea reduce chronic tinnitus?

 

[LBE]

You say that, but then why do cochlear implants or electrical stimulation of the cochlea reduce chronic tinnitus?

That's a great question, and one I've been grappling with myself. According to the work of Carlson, Djalilian, Olze, and others, this treatment approach appears to be effective—and it's the one that gives me the most hope for some form of future relief.

Interestingly, not everyone with SSNHL (sudden sensorineural hearing loss) develops chronic tinnitus, and I haven't found a clear explanation for why this is the case. Could it be that inflammation subsides, reducing interference with nerve signaling? Or is something occurring further up, such as reduced neural activity in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) or other waypoints along the auditory pathway compared to those with chronic tinnitus? I'm just not sure.

Lidocaine seems to temporarily calm tinnitus for most people with chronic cases. But if these individuals had received routine injections or infusions at the onset of their tinnitus, would the response have been similarly temporary? Or could it have provided enough of a buffer against the lack of input to prevent maladaptive responses from developing in other regions of the brain?

(By the way, I had the same reaction you did when @ErikaS reported the two-year postponement of Carlson's trial. This is the one I have the most hope invested in. I had already set up a patient account at the Mayo Clinic and asked one of Carlson's nurses to make a note in my chart about my strong interest in participating in the next stage of the trial. The nurse seemed convinced by my level of intensity...)