Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss: finding for the maximal therapeutic benefit of different applied pressures

Abstract

We compared the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy used in the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) as a supplementary therapy to the first-line medical treatment according to the different applied pressures used in HBO2 treatment while maintaining the same number of sessions, periodicity and exposure times. We evaluated data from 115 patients suffering from SSNHL within seven days of hearing loss: 35 patients received the standard treatment protocol (control group), and 80 individuals were treated with additional application of HBO2 therapy pressured to 2.0 ATA (H2.0; n=49) or 2.5 ATA (H2.5; n=31), respectively. Treatment success was assessed using pre- and post-treatment audiograms. We found significant differences in both HBO2 groups compared to the control group. In low frequencies the most significant differences can be seen in both H2.0 and H2.5. In spoken speech frequencies only the H2.0 group was statistically significant. In high frequencies the therapeutic benefits were the lowest. Furthermore, we found a notable difference in the therapeutic effect of HBO2 therapy according to the different applied pressure. At low frequencies, the use of 2.5 ATA pressure was more efficient. However, in the higher frequency ranges, the better hearing gains were obtained at the 2.0 ATA pressure. Our results support the possibility of optimizing treatments individually, depending on the type and frequency range of hearing impairment (shape of the audiogram) in favor of using the 2.0 ATA. This is important in terms of an individual approach to each patient as well as to minimize the burden of a patient in order to obtain the maximum therapeutic effect.

Assessing the Effectiveness of Different Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Methods in Patients with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

“…In the groups compared, delaying HBOT more than 10 days from the time of the first SSNHL symptoms was associated with a reduced treatment efficacy at 1500, 3000, and 4000 Hz. This is in line with current scientific evidence [12,20,[23][24][25]. Cavaliere et al demonstrated a complex relationship between the choice of therapeutical strategy for SSNHL and hearing improvement [26].…”

“…In the examined group, there were no statistically significant differences in the decrease in hearing threshold stimulus with respect to the total time of compression (1 vs. 2 h). A selective influence of pressure values on hearing threshold stimulus was, however, demonstrated by Krajcovicova et al [20]. Application of 2.0 ATA improved treatment results in the speech frequency spectrum.…”

Effects of Oxygen Therapies in Experimental Acute Acoustic Trauma

“…In one study, researchers compared the effect of HBOT under different pressures. 32 They found that at low frequencies, high-pressure oxygen therapy and at higher frequencies, low-pressure oxygen therapy produced better results. In our study, we observed that the healing effect of NBOT at high frequencies is better than HBOT especially on the fifth and seventh days.…”