Effects of two different local anaesthetic methods vs no anaesthesia on pain scores for intratympanic injections

Objective: This study compared the pain associated with the intratympanic injection combined with various local anaesthetics vs without anaesthesia. Methods: The study included 40 patients (aged 18-78 years) who received intratympanic steroid injections for sudden idiopathic hearing loss or tinnitus. Each patient underwent all three injection methods at one-week intervals. Patients received one of two local anaesthetics (lidocaine injection or lidocaine spray) or no anaesthesia before intratympanic injection, and used a visual analogue scale to indicate the pain level after 5 and 45 minutes. Results: Five minutes after injection, patients who did not receive anaesthesia and those who received lidocaine spray reported lower pain scores than those who received a lidocaine injection (p < 0.05). There was no difference in pain scores for all three methods at 45 minutes after intratympanic injection. Conclusion: Neither of the local anaesthetics was found to be superior to having no anaesthesia.