Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Comparison of Treatment Results with Intratymanic Dexamethasone and Hyperbaric Oxygen. Four Year Clinical Experience

Objective: To study therapeutic effect of different first line treatment options in a clinical setting in patients presenting with idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL).

Patients: A total of 105 patients were divided in 4 groups. Patients in the control group (42 patients group D) received systemic steroids alone. Patients in the combined treatment groups received additionally i) intratympanic dexamethasone (IT) (group A, 36 patients), ii) IT, plus hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) (group B, 16 patients), iii) HBOT (group C , 12 patients ).

Main Outcome Measures: Hearing recovery was evaluated on the basis of PTA averages before and after treatment.

Results: Hearing improvement was 47, 02 % for the control group (D). Patients receiving combined treatment with IT showed better results with 61, 32 % hearing improvement, whereas groups B and C 42, 47% and 41% respectively. Even though hearing improvement was better in the intratympanic group, results were not statistically significant with a p=0,062.

Conclusion: Combination therapy of intratympanic dexamethasone and systemic steroids seem to have a beneficial effect on hearing outcome in SSNHL patients.

Keywords: Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Intratympanic dexamethasone, Hyperbaric oxygen