PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF EFFECT OF GLUCOCORTICOIDS IN THE TREATMENT OF VESTIBULAR NEURONITIS
*Dr. R. Siva MS (ENT) and Dr. M. Krishna Sundari
ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the efficacy of glucocorticoid treatment in acute vestibular neuronitis on recovery of vestibular function and the duration of hospital stay. Study Design: Prospective, comparison of consecutive case series with historic controls. Setting: Government Dharmapuri medical college hospital. Patients: Patients with acute vestibular neuronitis. One group treated with glucocorticoids within 3 days after the onset of symptoms[n=30] and the other group of untreated historic controls[n=40]. Interventions: Oral Prednisolone at a dose of 50 mg/day for the first 5 days followed by tapering of the doses for the next 5 days, alternatively with intravenous Betamethasone 8 mg on the first 1-2 days if nauseated. Main Outcome Measures: Extend of unilateral vesibular paresis (%) in the caloric test at presentation and at 12months of follow up. Duration of hospital stay (days). Results: The initial vestibular paresis value was same for the treatment group and the control group. A lower value (22.8% versus 47.2%) and greater improvement was seen in the treatment group on follow up. About 70% of the treatment group had a normal caloric test result compared to only 34% of the of the control group. The mean hospital stay of the treatment group was significantly shorter than that of the control group (1.8 versus 3.0 d, p=0.001).
Keywords: Clinical medicine-Treatment outcome-vertigo-vestibular function tests.
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