Vestibular Histopathology after Intratympanic Gentamicin Treatment
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Histopathological changes within the vestibular system following intratympanic gentamicin administration.
IRAS ID
238860
Contact name
Simon Lloyd
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
A vestibular schwannoma is a type of tumour that grows in the ‘vestibular apparatus’, a part of the inner ear that is responsible for controlling balance, orientation and spatial awareness. When this type of tumour is removed via surgery, the entire vestibular apparatus is also removed and a patient can suffer from severe vertigo symptoms such as nausea, dizziness and headaches.
Gentamicin is an antibiotic that has a toxic effect on the vestibular apparatus. Injecting Gentamicin into the ear over time slowly reduces how well the vestibular apparatus works. It is possible to reduce the symptoms of vertigo following vestibular schwannoma surgery by injecting Gentamicin into the ear at regular intervals before surgery. This sometimes means that when the vestibular apparatus is removed, the after-effects are less sudden and intense. At Salford Royal Hospital, Gentamicin is given to some patients before vestibular schwannoma surgery. Whether or not a patient receives Gentamicin is their doctor’s decision.
We would like to recruit twenty-five participants who are planning to have surgery for a vestibular schwannoma. We would like to compare those who had Gentamicin injected into the inner ear before surgery with those who did not, by studying the tissue that is removed during surgery. This will enable us to see what changes occurred in the vestibular apparatus as a result of Gentamicin.REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/1544
Date of REC Opinion
18 Sep 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion