An intratympanic steroid injection is an operation/procedure in which a small amount of steroid is injected directly into the middle ear. It is done under Local Anaesthesia in a separate procedure room.

It is used in patients suffering with sudden onset hearing loss or severe vertigo, such as caused by Meniere’s disease or a sudden vestibular failure which has not responded to vestibular sedative medications or rehabilitation exercises.

Your specialist will have taken a detailed history and carried out a thorough examination, and on the basis of this will have decided that you are likely to benefit from an intratympanic steroid injection. The assessment will have included a full hearing test. This is important as it gives your specialist a clue as to which ear is affected, and indicates the amount of useful hearing left.