The effect of iontophoresis of lignocaine in the treatment of tinnitus

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Abstract
Lignocaine is the only drug available that suppresses tinnitus when given intravenously, but the mechanism and the site of its action are not well understood. Iontophoresis, a method by which chemical agents may be transported by electrical current from the ear canal throughout the tympanic membrane into the middle ear, could be expected to have a suppressive effect on tinnitus because the drug is brought so close to the cochlea. In the present study none of the 46 patients reported the suppression of tinnitus to a non-annoying level. Neither lignocaine nor any of its metabolites was found in blood sampled during the period of this treatment.