Körpinar S, Alkan Z, Yiğit O, Gör AP, Toklu AS, Cakir B, Soyuyüce OG, Ozkul H, et al.
European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto.... Date of publication 2011 Jan 1;volume 268(1):41-7.
1. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2011 Jan;268(1):41-7. doi: 10.1007/s00405-010-1336-6.
Epub 2010 Jul 14.
Factors influencing the outcome of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss
treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Körpinar S(1), Alkan Z, Yiğit O, Gör AP, Toklu AS, Cakir B, Soyuyüce OG, Ozkul H.
Author information:
(1)Med-Ok Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center, Tatlıpınar cad. No: 7/1, 34093,
Şehremini-Istanbul, Turkey. sefikkorpinar@yahoo.com
Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is an otologic emergency
with an incidence of about 5-20 per 100,000 of the population per year. There is
no universally accepted standard protocol for the treatment of patients with
ISSNHL. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), was first reported to improve the
outcome following acute inner ear disorders during the late 1960s by both French
and German authors. The increase in perilymph oxygenation produced by HBOT
provides logical basis for the use of this treatment modality in ISSNHL. We
reviewed the records of 97 cases that received HBOT for SSNHL to identify the
factors that may affect the treatment outcomes. The effects of age, gender,
affected ear, status of the contralateral ear, symptoms associated with hearing
loss, presence of a cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, history of diabetes
mellitus, seasonal factor, smoking, degree of hearing loss, audiogram type,
medical treatments provided prior to HBOT, onset time, and number of HBOT
sessions were evaluated. The mean hearing gain in all cases after the HBOT was
29.5 dB. The gains were statistically significant in the following cases: early
onset of HBOT (p = 0.016), higher number of HBOT sessions (p < 0.01), steroid
usage (p = 0.009), low frequency-ascending and total audiogram configuration
(p < 0.01) and profound hearing loss (p = 0.011). The success rate was
significantly lower in cases with high frequency-descending audiogram
configuration (p < 0.001). The most important factor affected the prognosis
favorably was found as steroid therapy. This retrospective study and our clinical
experience suggest that HBOT has beneficial effects when administered in the
early phase of the disease together with steroids. HBOT is a safe practice when
used properly by an experienced hyperbaric team. In the treatment of ISSNHL, 20
sessions of HBOT at 2.5 ATA can be tolerated well besides some minor side
effects. HBOT should be considered for the cases especially with total or
profound hearing loss.
DOI: 10.1007/s00405-010-1336-6
PMID: 20628751 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
