OBJECTIVE The therapeutic use of ototoxic drugs is relatively common, particularly in patients with severe diseases. It is likely that disturbances of balance in these patients are underestimated by clinicians. MATERIALS AND METHODS The purpose of this study was to identify drugs involved in the vestibulotoxic origin of instability in a group of 18 patients. RESULTS Six patients showed both...

The first major recognition of drug-induced hearing loss can be traced back more than seven decades to the development of streptomycin as an antimicrobial agent. Since then at least 130 therapeutic drugs have been recognized as having ototoxic side-effects. Two important classes of ototoxic drugs are the aminoglycoside antibiotics and the platinum-based antineoplastic agents. These drugs save t...

Although the treatment and rehabilitation of the hearing handicapped have reached highly sophisticated levels, man should not be overly impressed with his achievements. Two recently recognized causes of deafness are a result of our mechanized and "advanced" society. In nature sounds occurring louder than 100 decibels (dB) are a rarity; such intensities when frequently presented to the hearing m...

Therapeutic drugs with ototoxic side effects cause significant hearing loss for thousands of patients annually. Two major classes of ototoxic drugs are cisplatin and the aminoglycoside antibiotics, both of which are toxic to mechanosensory hair cells, the receptor cells of the inner ear. A critical need exists for therapies that protect the inner ear without inhibiting the therapeutic efficacy ...