What Researchers Did
Researchers retrospectively reviewed 136 patients to compare the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and intratympanic steroid (ITS) treatment for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) following systemic steroid therapy.
What They Found
No substantial change in hearing gain was observed for either the HBOT or ITS treatment cohort (p>0.05), but the time to recovery was higher in the ITS treatment cohort (40%) than in the HBOT cohort (17%). The starting time for ITS treatment was 4 days compared to 8 days for HBOT, and a significant difference was observed before and after ITS treatment (p<0.05).
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients with ISSHL unresponsive to primary systemic steroid therapy, intratympanic steroid treatment may be a more effective salvage option, particularly if initiated promptly. However, hyperbaric oxygen therapy may not yield improved results if started late.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted by researchers outside of Canada.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this retrospective study is that HBOT was often initiated late, potentially obscuring its true effectiveness as an early treatment option.