CORTICOTROPIN (ACTH) is a pituitary hormone with a stimulating action on the adrenal cortex. One of the functions of the adrenal cortex is regulation of the activity of mesenchymal tissue. In many patients with diseases of such tissue administration of corticotropin has had a favorable—sometimes almost dramatic— effect after a few days of treatment, especially if therapy was instituted during the first stage of the disease.
Corticotropin has a pronounced inhibitory effect on the increased mesenchymal activity which is a common feature of the diseases improved by treatment with this hormone. (Bjørneboe1 recently presented a survey of the effects of corticotropin therapy.)
On the basis of clinical and experimental experiences with corticotropin from other fields, especially its effect on certain vascular and articular lesions, it seemed natural to investigate its effect on patients with impaired hearing owing to otosclerosis and adhesive otitis, these diseases being due to morbid processes