Sudden Hypoacusis Treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: A Controlled Study

Abstract

The term sudden hypoacusis describes a hearing loss of rapid onset and unknown origin that can progress to severe deafness. Of the many therapeutic protocols that have been proposed for treating sudden hypoacusis, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HOT) plays a leacling role. We studied50patients who had been referred to our ENTunit within 48 hours of the onset of sudden hypoacusis. We raiiclomly assigned30 of these patients to undergo oncedaily administration of HOT f o r I0 days; the other 20 patients were treated for I0 days with an intravenous vasodilator. Response to therapy in all patients was evaluated by calculating the mean hearing threshold at frequencies between 500 and 4,000 Hz and by assessing liininal tonal audiometry results recorded at baseline and I0 days after the cessation of treatment. These results, plus the findings of other audiologic and otoneurologic examinations, revealed that the patients in the HOTgroup experienced a significantly greater response to treatment than did those in the vasodilator group, regardless of age and sex variables. Significantly more patients in the HOT group experienced a good or significant response. I n both groups, patients with pantonal hypoacusis responcled significantly better than did those with a milder condition. Based on our findings, coupled with the fact that oxygen therapy is well tolerated andproduces no side

Efficacy comparison of oral steroid, intratympanic steroid, hyperbaric oxygen and oral steroid + hyperbaric oxygen treatments in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss cases

“…Fattori et al [25] administered hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) to 30 and vasodilator buXomedil to 20 sudden hearing loss patients who were admitted within 48 h of onset of symptoms. Patients who received hyperbaric oxygen had better hearing outcomes.…”

Comparison of therapeutic results in sudden sensorineural hearing loss with/without additional hyperbaric oxygen therapy: a retrospective review of 465 audiologically controlled cases

“…Research has reported the proposed benefit for HBO applied in SSNHL as increased oxygen tension (pO2) in the blood and then, via diffusion, increased pO2 in the inner‐ear fluids, which nourish the sensory and neural elements in the cochlea 14 . HBO inhalation thereby stimulates cell metabolism in the inner ear even under conditions of poor blood supply 15 . Lamm et al.…”

Therapeutic effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment combined with pharmacotherapy for sudden deafness: A retrospective study

“…The treatments of SD mainly aimed to improve the circulation of inner ear and increase the oxygen partial pressure to promote the metabolism of inner ear cells, improve the function of Na+/K+-ATPase ion pump and the electrophysiological function recovered of the cochlea (Fattori et al, 2001). HBO treatment is a common strategy in the treatment of SD and the effectiveness of HBO in the treatment of SD and concomitant symptoms have been confirmed in animal studies and clinical trials (Yoon et al, 2009).…”