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Early combination treatment with intratympanic steroid injection in severe to profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss improves speech discrimination performance

  • Otology
  • Published:
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Abstract

The objective of the study was to determine the therapeutic efficacy of early combined treatment with intratympanic steroid injection (ITSI) in patients with severe to profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), who did not respond to initial systemic steroid treatment (SST). The study design included historical controlled trials (retrospective analysis for the SST group). Patients (n = 73; 38 women and 35 men) diagnosed with severe to profound SSNHL at the time of their first visit in tertiary referral centers were recruited. Among these 73 patients, 30 patients who showed no early response within a week after the start of initial SST were prospectively included as the ITSI group. ITSI was performed twice a week for two consecutive weeks. In contrast, 43 patients with the same condition who did not receive ITSI were retrospectively included as the SST group. For each group, pure-tone audiogram (PTA) and speech discrimination score (SDS) tests were performed before SST and more than 2 months after termination of treatment in each group. After termination of each treatment, the final average gain on PTA showed no significant difference between the two groups; however, the final average gain of SDS demonstrated a significantly better recovery in the ITSI group. ITSI as part of an early combined therapy represents an effective treatment in terms of the improvement of SDS in severe to profound SSNHL showing no early response to initial SST.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a clinical research grant provided by the Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Boramae Medical Center, 39, Boramae-Gil, Dongjak-Gu, Seoul, 156-707, Korea

    Young Ho Kim & Min Hyun Park

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Sensory Organ Research Institute, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, South Korea

    Kyung Tae Park, Jun Ho Lee, Seung-Ha Oh & Sun O. Chang

  3. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea

    Byung Yoon Choi

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  1. Young Ho Kim
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  2. Kyung Tae Park
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  4. Min Hyun Park
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  5. Jun Ho Lee
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Correspondence to Young Ho Kim.

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Kim, Y.H., Park, K.T., Choi, B.Y. et al. Early combination treatment with intratympanic steroid injection in severe to profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss improves speech discrimination performance. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 269, 2173–2178 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-011-1874-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-011-1874-6

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