Sustained Inner Ear Steroid Delivery via Bioabsorbable Stent: A Tolerability and Feasibility Study on Guinea Pigs.

ObjectiveTo determine the feasibility and tolerability of a steroid-eluting middle ear device on an animal model.Study DesignProspective experimental.SettingExperimental animal study.Subjects and MethodMometasone furoate (MF)–eluting miniature sticks were implanted through a myringotomy incision into the middle ear of 10 guinea pigs. Two additional ears of 2 animals served as controls. Fourteen days after implantation, perilymphatic fluid was collected through an endaural cochleostomy. MF concentrations were measured with high-performance liquid chromatography, and the middle ear mucosal inflammation was graded with hematoxylin and eosin colorations.ResultsFourteen days after implantation, all tympanic membranes had fully healed. An average of 165 ng/mL of MF was detected in the perilymphatic fluid of the experimental ears, and none was measured in control ears. Microscopic residues of the ministicks were found in 90% of the samples, confirming the bioabsorbable properties of this device. Histologic analy...