What Researchers Did
Chinese researchers randomized 78 patients with refractory flat-descending sudden sensorineural hearing loss to either HBOT alone or HBOT combined with electro-nape-acupuncture (ENA) for four weeks.
What They Found
Both groups showed significant improvement in hearing threshold and reduction in tinnitus and dizziness scores over four weeks. By week 4, the ENA plus HBOT group had statistically better hearing thresholds and symptom scores than HBOT alone, though the difference in overall effective rate (69% vs 51%) did not reach statistical significance.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadians with sudden hearing loss that has not responded to standard steroid therapy, this study suggests that adding acupuncture to HBOT may provide modest additional benefit, though the evidence remains preliminary.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified. HBOT for sudden sensorineural hearing loss is available at some Canadian HBOT centres, though it is not an OHIP-covered indication.
Study Limitations
Small sample size (39 per group), open-label design without sham acupuncture control, and a Chinese-language publication context limit generalizability to Canadian practice.