2016 Volume 62 Issue 1 Pages 1-10
We evaluated the efficacy of combination therapy with steroid and hyperbaric oxygenation for the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). This study was designed as a prospective study with multi-institutional collaboration, including Sasebo Kyosai Hospital and Hamanomachi Hospital. The PSL group (control, n=115) was treated with intravenous prednisolone alone at Hamanomachi Hospital, whereas patients in the HBO group (n=75) concurrently received hyperbaric oxygen therapy in conjunction with intravenous prednisolone. We evaluated the outcome of therapy efficacy using a grading system established by The Research Committee on Acute Profound Deafness, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Japan. Side effects occurred in 18 cases (24%), which included ottis media with effusion and abdominal discomfort, however, those events were all considered to be acceptable. The hearing improvement rate, defined as the proportion of patients with a fare, good or complete recovery, was significantly higher in the HBO group than in the PSL group (89.3%vs76.5%, p=0.019), whereas both the cured rate and good recovery rate were not statistically different between the two groups. In addition, the threshold of low-frequency sounds significantly improved in the HBO group, compared with the PSL group (96.3 dB vs 75.3 dB, p=0.02).We could not confirm the efficacy of HBO therapy in those cases with a poor prognosis, such as in elderly patients, those with complications of vertigo and patients in whom the start of treatment was delayed.
