What Researchers Did
Researchers compared medical treatment alone to stellate ganglion block (SGB) plus hyperbaric oxygen therapy (OHP), with or without medical treatment, in 91 patients with idiopathic sudden hearing loss.
What They Found
Patients treated with SGB plus OHP (groups 2 and 3) showed higher improvement rates, with 74% in group 2 and 100% in group 3 achieving over 10 dB pure tone average improvement when treated within two weeks, compared to 69% in the medical-only group 1. For patients with complete hearing loss, 83% in group 2 and 100% in group 3 improved over 10 dB, significantly higher than 33% in group 1. SGB plus OHP also showed effectiveness for late treatment, with 71% of group 2 patients treated 2-6 weeks after onset improving over 10 dB.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients experiencing idiopathic sudden hearing loss may benefit from stellate ganglion block combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, especially if conventional medical treatments are insufficient. This combination therapy appears effective even when initiated more than two weeks after the onset of hearing loss, offering a potential option for those with delayed presentation.
Canadian Relevance
This study was conducted in Japan and has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this study is the non-randomized assignment of patients to treatment groups, which could introduce bias.