What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a prospective controlled study to evaluate hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a salvage treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss in 44 patients who did not respond to initial steroid treatment.
What They Found
Patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy experienced a mean hearing improvement of 15.6 dB, compared to a mean spontaneous improvement of 5.0 dB in the untreated control group. This difference was statistically significant (p = 0.0133), indicating that HBO therapy led to a significantly better improvement in pure tone hearing thresholds.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients experiencing sudden sensorineural hearing loss who do not improve after initial steroid treatment, hyperbaric oxygen therapy could be a beneficial salvage option. This treatment may offer a chance for significant hearing improvement if administered within four weeks of the onset of deafness.
Canadian Relevance
This study was not conducted in Canada and does not have a direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A key limitation of this study is the use of a non-randomized control group, which could introduce selection bias.