What Researchers Did
A retrospective chart review compared systemic steroid alone versus systemic steroid plus hyperbaric oxygen treatment for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss in 44 patients.
What They Found
Researchers found no statistically significant difference (P>0.0028) in hearing improvement between patients treated with systemic steroid alone and those receiving systemic steroid plus hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Neither age (P>0.0007) nor initial hearing level (P>0.0007) significantly influenced the results.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss may not see additional benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy when already receiving systemic steroids.
This suggests that routine administration of hyperbaric oxygen in this context might be unnecessary.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted outside of Canada.
Study Limitations
As a retrospective chart review, this study may be subject to inherent biases and limitations in data collection.