What Researchers Did
Researchers reviewed records of 178 patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) treated with adjuvant hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to evaluate prognostic factors for hearing recovery.
What They Found
The overall hearing recovery rate was 37.1%, comprising 19.7% complete recovery and 17.4% partial recovery. Multivariate analysis revealed that later onset of HBOT and a higher initial hearing threshold were associated with a poor prognosis.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss who are considering hyperbaric oxygen therapy may benefit more from earlier treatment. A lower initial hearing threshold could also indicate a better chance of recovery with this adjuvant therapy.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
As a retrospective review, this study may be subject to selection bias and unmeasured confounding factors.