Intratympanic and systemic steroids for sudden hearing loss

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of intratympanic dexamethasone combined with systemic prednisolone in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL).

Study design: Prospective, quasirandomized, multicenter clinical trial.

Setting: One university hospital and 2 affiliated hospitals.

Patients: A total of 92 eligible patients with ISSNHL were allocated into 2 groups. Patients in the control group were treated with systemic prednisolone alone. Patients of the combined treatment group received additionally 3 intratympanic dexamethasone injections within 5 days.

Main outcome measures: The main outcome measures used were the differences between pretreatment and posttreatment pure-tone audiometry averages (PTAs) and speech discrimination scores (SDSs). Successful treatment was defined as a greater than 10 dB improvement in PTA and 15% in SDS. The final assessment of hearing was performed 3 months after completion of treatment.

Results: Significant hearing recovery was observed in 31 (67.39%) of 46 cases, and in 24 (52.17%) of 46 control patients. Patients receiving combination therapy had a median improvement in PTA of 23.12 dB and a median increase in SDS of 32%. In the control group, the median hearing gain was 16.87 dB and 18%, respectively. The differences between the 2 groups were not statistically significant (p = 0.10 and p = 0.13). However, after performing a post hoc analysis by excluding individuals with profound hearing loss (PTA, >90 dB), the combined treatment group showed significant improvement compared with the control group (p = 0.04). No serious complications or adverse reactions were reported.

Conclusion: The addition of intratympanic steroids to the conventional systemic steroid therapy may provide a safe and potentially effective therapeutic option in patients with mild-to-severe ISSNHL.