The place of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and ozone therapy in sudden hearing loss

Gülin Ergun Taşdöven,Alper Tunga Derin,Neslihan Yaprak,Hasan Ümit Özçağlar

doi:10.1016/j.bjorl.2016.06.002

Gülin Ergun Taşdöven, Alper Tunga Derin + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjorl.2016.06.002

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Abstract

IntroductionIt is difficult to evaluate the effect of drugs clinically used for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss, mainly because its underlying mechanism remains unknown. ObjectiveThis study assessed the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy or ozone therapy in the treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss, when either therapy was included with steroid treatment. MethodsA retrospective analysis examined 106 patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss seen between January 2010 and June 2012. Those with an identified etiology were excluded. The patients were divided into three treatment groups: oral steroid only (n=65), oral steroid+hyperbaric oxygen (n=26), and oral steroid+ozone (n=17). Treatment success was assessed using Siegel criteria and mean gains using pre- and post-treatment audiograms. ResultsThe highest response rate to treatment was observed in the oral steroid+ozone therapy group (82.4%), followed by the oral steroid+hyperbaric oxygen (61.5%), and oral steroid groups (50.8%). There were no significant differences in the response to treatment between the oral steroid and oral steroid+hyperbaric oxygen groups (p<0.355). The oral steroid+ozone group showed a significantly higher response rate to treatment than the oral steroid group (p=0.019). There were no significant differences between the oral steroid+hyperbaric oxygen and oral steroid+ozone groups (p=0.146). ConclusionThe efficiency of steroid treatment in patients with severe hearing loss was low. It was statistically ascertained that adding hyperbaric oxygen or ozone therapy to the treatment contributed significantly to treatment success.

Highlights

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is an otologic disease requiring urgent diagnosis and treatment
We retrospectively investigated the efficacy of the treatment protocols applied to patients with ISSNHL, and studied the role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) or ozone therapy for the treatment of ISSNHL with either therapy administered as a supplement to systemic steroid treatment
The cases in the present study were divided into three groups as follows: 63 patients with oral steroid treatment (Group A), 26 patients with oral steroid + HBOT (Group B), and 17 patients with oral steroid + ozone therapy (Group C)

Summary

Introduction

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is an otologic disease requiring urgent diagnosis and treatment. ISSNHL is commonly defined as hearing loss of more than 30 dB, affecting three or more frequencies, arising over less than 3 days, without an identifiable etiology.[1] The hearing loss develops within a few seconds, minutes, or hours. In several epidemiological studies conducted on the incidence of ISSNHL, the spontaneous recovery rate of ISSNHL is high; the actual incidence is estimated to be far above this value. Several factors account for its etiology, most cases are idiopathic. The etiology can be clarified in 10---15% of cases, with ISSNHL diagnosed in the remainder.[2,4,5] No apparent cause can be indicated.2---4 The etiology can be clarified in 10---15% of cases, with ISSNHL diagnosed in the remainder.[2,4,5]

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