Effectiveness of Various Treatments for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss—A Retrospective Study

Abstract

(1) Background: A retrospective clinical study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of different pharmacological and non-pharmacological regimens for treating sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). (2) Methods: Adult patients (n = 130) diagnosed with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) and hospitalized between 2015 and 2020 were enrolled in this study. Depending on the treatment regimen applied, patients were divided into five groups. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (i) hearing loss of sudden onset; (ii) hearing loss of at least 30 dB at three consecutive frequencies; (iii) unilateral hearing loss; (iv) age above 18 years. Exclusion criteria were as follows: (i) no follow-up audiogram; (ii) bilateral hearing loss; (iii) recognized alternative diagnosis such as tumor, disorder of inner ear fluids, infection or inflammation, autoimmune disease, malformation, hematological disease, dialysis-dependent renal failure, postdural puncture syndrome, gene-related syndrome, mitochondrial disease; and (iv) age below 18 years. (3) Results: Complete recovery was found in 14% of patients (18/130) and marked improvement was found in 6% (8/130), giving an overall success rate of 20%. The best results were obtained in the second group (i.e., patients given intratympanic glucocorticoid + prolonged orally administered glucocorticoid) where the success rate was 28%. In general, the older the patient, the smaller the improvement in hearing, a correlation that was statistically significant. (4) Conclusions: In treating SSNHL, the highest rate of hearing recovery—28%—was in the group of patients given intratympanic corticoid plus prolonged treatment with orally administered glucocorticoid.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss in children – literature review

“…In adults most recent studies show that implementation of intratympanic corticoid and prolonged orally administered corticoid is the most effective treatment. Dexamethasone and prednisone are used [22]. Because of a lack of recommendations and data about treatment of pediatric ISSHL, treatment resembling that in adults should be applied [20].…”

Systemic steroid administration combined with intratympanic steroid injection in the treatment of a unilateral sudden hearing loss prognosis prediction model: A retrospective observational study

“…Through a meta-analysis, Han et al found that the efficacy of CT in the treatment of ISSNHL was superior to that of SST alone ( 7 ). In a retrospective study, Skarzyńska et al ( 8 ) found that the hearing recovery rate of ISSNHL treated by CT was higher than that of SST and ISI. In conclusion, CT is an effective treatment for ISSNHL.…”

The Clinical Effect of Steroid Therapy on Preserving Residual Hearing after Cochlear Implantation with the Advanced Bionics HiRes Ultra 3D Cochlear Implant System

“…There are more and more promising reports that describe the use of glucocorticoids in preserving residual hearing in a patient. Drugs such as dexamethasone, prednisone, and prednisolone, which are steroids with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties, have been used for these purposes [4,9,11,12].…”