Abstract
Objective
The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of systemic steroid alone and combined with intratympanic methylprednisolone in the treatment of patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
Study Design
Prospective, randomized controlled trial.
Settings
Katip Celebi University Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
Subject and Methods
Seventy-nine patients who met the inclusion criteria for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss were included in this study. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups according to treatment: group A received combination therapy (intratympanic methylprednisolone + oral steroid) and group B received oral steroid alone. Of the 79 patients included, 6 patients missed the 1-month follow-up visit. Overall, 73 patients (37 combination group, 36 oral steroid group) who completed the 1-month follow-up and study intervention were included in the per-protocol analysis. Both the relationship between certain prognostic factors and the clinical outcome after treatment were analyzed.
Results
Combination therapy showed significant hearing improvement and speech discrimination scores compared with the use of systemic steroids alone (P < .05). In hearing outcomes in patients with severe hearing loss, combination therapy had statistically significant hearing improvement compared with oral steroid alone (P < .05).
Conclusion
We recommend that combination therapy can be considered as initial treatment especially for patients with severe hearing loss.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.