Dova S, Psillas G, Tsaligopoulos M, Nikolaidis V, Stefanidou S, Karagiannis G, Kotsiou M, Kaltzidis T, Markou K, et al.
American journal of otolaryngology. Date of publication 2022 Sep 1;volume 43(5):103564.
1. Am J Otolaryngol. 2022 Sep-Oct;43(5):103564. doi:
10.1016/j.amjoto.2022.103564. Epub 2022 Aug 3.
The effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on the final outcome of patients
with sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
Dova S(1), Psillas G(2), Tsaligopoulos M(2), Nikolaidis V(3), Stefanidou S(4),
Karagiannis G(4), Kotsiou M(4), Kaltzidis T(4), Markou K(3).
Author information:
(1)2nd Academic ENT Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,
Papageorgiou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. Electronic address:
Stdova@yahoo.gr.
(2)1st Academic ENT Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, AHEPA
Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
(3)2nd Academic ENT Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,
Papageorgiou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
(4)Hyperbaric and Diving Medicine Department, St Paul General Hospital,
Thessaloniki, Greece.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of the combination of systemic
steroids (SS) and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in patients with idiopathic
sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural
hearing loss were allocated into 2 groups: the control group received
Dexamethasone IV (SS) and the therapy group received Dexamethasone IV combined
with 15 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (SS + HBOT) as initial treatment.
Hearing assessment was performed at the admission to hospital and 3 months after
the onset of treatment. Siegel's criteria were used to evaluate the hearing
outcomes. Prognostic factors were identified by linear regression analyses.
RESULTS: Hearing improvement rate was 64 % in the therapy group and 56 % in the
control group, difference which was not statistically significant (p = 0.369).
Furthermore, when patients of each group were categorized into 5 subgroups by
disease severity (mild, moderate, moderate to severe, severe, profound),
differences in treatment outcome between the subgroups of the same severity were
not significant. A descending type audiogram curve was proven an unfavorable
prognostic factor in both groups, as it led to a significantly lower hearing
gain (30 dB) compared to other curve shapes (b = -29.10, 95 % CI = -56.39,
-1.82).
CONCLUSIONS: The addition of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to systemic steroids
caused no significant hearing improvement, despite a mild tendency toward a
greater improvement rate within the combination group. More prospective
randomized trials with larger series of patients could shed even more light on
the effectiveness of combination therapy (SS + HBOT) in patients affected by
SSNHL.
Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2022.103564
PMID: 35952529 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest None.
