Effectiveness of intratympanic dexamethasone for the treatment of vertigo attacks in patients with Meniere's disease compared with betahistine pharmacotherapy

Objective This study analyzed the possible effects of intratympanic steroid (ITS) therapy in the symptomatic treatment of vertigo attacks in patients with Meniere's disease. Methods Thirty-five patients treated with ITS (dexamethasone) plus betahistine (Group A) and 35 patients treated with betahistine alone (Group B) were enrolled in this investigation. Complaints were analyzed using medical records and vertigo diaries. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS V24 software. Results Based on the analysis, there were no significant differences in baseline features between the two groups. When the occurrence of vertigo attacks was compared using the Kaplan-Meier method, no significant difference was detected between Groups A and B (odds ratio [OR] = 1.051, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.965-1.067; p = 0.972). In addition, no difference in the incidence of vertigo attacks was noted in group A between the periods of treatment with betahistine alone and betahistine plus ITS when the groups were analyzed via logistic regression (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.065-1.467; p = 0.614). Conclusion It can be concluded that the addition of ITS therapy to betahistine did not improve outcomes in patients with Meniere's disease. Further prospective studies should be conducted to analyze the results in a more detailed manner.