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BJA Advance Access published online on June 2, 2008
British Journal of Anaesthesia, doi:10.1093/bja/aen137
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© The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia 2008. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

I.V. ropivacaine compared with lidocaine for the treatment of tinnitus

H. Kallio1,*, M. L. Niskanen1, M. Havia2, P. J. Neuvonen3, P. H. Rosenberg1 and E. Kentala2

1 Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine
2 Audiology Unit, Department of Otorhinolaryngology
3 Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Eye Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital—Anaesthesia, Haartmanstr. 4, PO Box 220, Helsinki 00029, HUS, Finland

* Corresponding author. E-mail: helena.kallio{at}hus.fi

Background: I.V. lidocaine has been used to ameliorate tinnitus, but in general its effect has been limited. The longer acting local anaesthetic ropivacaine may be more effective.

Methods: A total of 19 randomized, double-blind, cross-over study patients suffering from chronic tinnitus were given a 30 min i.v. infusion of ropivacaine or lidocaine 1.5 mg kg–1 at an interval of 2–3 months. The intensity of tinnitus was evaluated on tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) scale and on the visual analogue scale (VAS). Plasma ropivacaine and lidocaine concentrations were determined.

Results: In both treatments, the infusion decreased the VAS score significantly. At the end of infusion, a ≥50% reduction in VAS score was observed in five patients by ropivacaine and in one patient by lidocaine, but this effect was sustained for 1 h only in three patients. However, the THI scores did not differ significantly within or between treatments. On the post-infusion day, three patients after ropivacaine and five after lidocaine treatment had ≥30% improvement in the THI score. Four weeks later, one patient after ropivacaine and two after lidocaine had a ≥30% reduction in the THI score. One patient developed seizures soon after ropivacaine infusion from which he recovered uneventfully. His plasma concentration of ropivacaine was 1817 ng ml–1. The highest individual ropivacaine and lidocaine concentrations were 3483 and 1680 ng ml–1, respectively.

Conclusions: Temporary clinically significant alleviation of tinnitus was observed only in a few individuals after both i.v. ropivacaine and lidocaine. The toxicity of ropivacaine limits its usefulness.

Keywords: anaesthetic techniques, i.v. infusion; anaesthetics local, lidocaine; anaesthetics local, ropivacaine; toxicity, local anaesthetics


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Dose for response?
Alfred P J Lake, et al.
British Journal of Anaesthesia, 14 Aug 2008 [Full text]
Re: Dose for response?
Helena Kallio
British Journal of Anaesthesia, 31 Aug 2008 [Full text]

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