The outcome of intratympanic steroid therapy as a salvage treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of intratympanic steroid (ITS) treatment for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Patients and Methods: Between January 2014 and November 2016, medical charts of a total of 63 patients (47 males, 16 females; mean age: 44.2±17.5 years; range, 18 to 77 years) who were hospitalized due to SSNHL were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups as those who received standard treatment (Group 1, n=32) and those who received ITS treatment as a salvage treatment (Group 2, n=31). Treatment modalities and the results of pure tone audiometry tests were recorded. Recovery was assessed according to the Furuhashi criteria. Results: There was no significant difference in the hearing recovery rates between Group 1 and Group 2. In the patients receiving standard treatment, the recovery rate was significant (78%), while it was only 35.4% in the patients receiving ITS treatment (p=0.361). Conclusion: Although recent guidelines strongly recommend ITS treatment, in our study, ITS, which was started on Day 5 of admission, was not found to be superior to standard systemic treatment.