Benefits of High-Dose Corticosteroid and Antiviral Agent Combination Therapy in the Treatment of House-Brackman Grade VI Ramsay Hunt Syndrome.

Objective: Few large-scale investigations have been conducted on treatment of House-Brackmann grade VI (HB grade VI) Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) patients. We compared recovery rates among patients receiving a normal-dose corticosteroid (prednisolone [PSL] 60 mg/d) or high-dose corticosteroid (PSL 200 mg/d), both with or without an antiviral agents. Recovery rates were also examined based on the order of presentation of herpetic vesicles versus facial palsy.

Consistent removal of hair cells in vestibular end organs by time-dependent transtympanic administration of gentamicin in guinea pigs.

Background: Vestibular hair cell loss and its role in balance disorders are not yet completely understood due largely to the lack of precise hair cell damage protocols.

New Method: Our damage protocol aims to selectively remove type I hair cells in a way that produces consistent and predictable lesions that can be used for reliable inter-animal and inter-group comparison in balance research. This objective is achieved by transtympanic injection of gentamicin on both the round window membrane and oval window over a fixed time period followed by thorough washing.