Gentamicin is an antibiotic that is toxic to the balance organ and is injected for patients with severe and difficult to control Meniere’s disease. This procedure can be repeated monthly until the irritating balance organ stops working.

Under a microscope, local anaesthetic cream is placed on the ear drum. After waiting for the anaesthetic to work (approximately 10 minutes), the ear drum is injected with 1-2ml of liquid gentamicin.

In the treatment of Meniere’s disease patients report a 90% reduction in the number of vertigo attacks.

One in every seven patients will report a significant reduction in hearing as a consequence of this injection.

There is a less than 1/100 chance of a small hole persisting in the ear drum after the injection. This rarely needs treatment, but if it is causing trouble, a short procedure to repair the hole can be undertaken.

This is a minor procedure undertaken in clinic using a local anaesthetic cream. The procedure itself takes less than 5 minutes. There is no pain expected during the injection, but the injected fluid can cause mild to moderate discomfort in the ear after the injection, lasting 30-90 minutes. Painkillers can be taken orally 30 minutes before the procedure to reduce this pain.

Patients are asked to avoid swallowing and to lie in a specific position, so to ensure the liquid stays in the correct place for as long as possible.

After 30 minutes of rest the patient can go home.

If successful the patient will have considerable sensation of feeling off-balance, for up to 6 weeks. It is expected that patients undertake regular vestibular exercises during this period to speed up their recovery.