What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a prospective randomized trial comparing hyperbaric oxygen therapy and intratympanic steroid injection as salvage treatments for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss after initial therapy failed.
What They Found
Among 50 patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss who failed primary treatment, both hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and intratympanic (IT) steroid treatments resulted in significant hearing improvements. Specifically, HBO led to significant hearing threshold differences at all tested frequencies, while IT steroids showed significant differences at most frequencies except 2 kHz. Patients with a pure tone average less than 81 dB and younger than 60 years old responded better to HBO therapy.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients experiencing sudden sensorineural hearing loss that does not respond to initial treatment may have two viable salvage therapy options: hyperbaric oxygen therapy or intratympanic steroid injections. These findings suggest that if primary treatment fails, these secondary interventions could still offer a chance for hearing improvement.
Canadian Relevance
This study was not conducted in Canada and does not have a direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this study is that the patient groups were not matched or similar, and further research is needed to determine which treatment is superior.