Vestibular Histopathology after Intratympanic Gentamicin Treatment V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Histopathological changes within the vestibular system following intratympanic gentamicin administration
IRAS ID
295368
Contact name
Simon Lloyd
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Vestibular schwannomas are benign tumours that develop on the balance nerve (vestibular nerve) within the inner ear. This nerve connects the balance organ (vestibular apparatus) with the brain and is an important component in an individuals overall sense of balance. If these tumours are growing then it may be necessary to remove them. In doing so, it is usually necessary to remove the entire vestibular apparatus. This means that the patient usually experiences severe vertigo for a period of time post-operatively until the brain compensates for the loss of function.
Gentamicin is an antibiotic that has a toxic effect on the vestibular apparatus. Gentamicin can be injected into the ear periodically over a few weeks and this results in a gradual loss of vestibular function. This can be carried out prior to vestibular schwannoma surgery and has been shown to reduce the symptoms of vertigo following vestibular schwannoma surgery.
Gentamicin can also be used in this way to treat other conditions including Menieire's disease.
Whilst we know that gentamicin works through damaging the microscopic hairs in the inner ear that detect movements most of the research on this subject has been in animals. There is very little data related to the effect of gentamicin on human vestibular tissue. The fact that the vestibular apparatus are removed as part of the surgery gives us the opportunity to harvest the vestibular tissue.
We would like to recruit twenty-five participants who are planning to have surgery for a vestibular schwannoma. We would like to compare the histological and electron microscopic features of the vestibular tissue from those that have and have not received intratympanic gentamicin prior to vestibular schwannoma surgery.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
21/ES/0109
Date of REC Opinion
17 Jan 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion