Humans ; Consensus ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/therapy* ; Hearing Loss, Sudden/therapy*

Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Humans

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to identify the effectiveness of intratympanic (IT) steroids when used as an initial therapy in sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), and when it is used as a salvage therapy in a refractory SSNHL. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 122 patients with SSNHL. First, patients were divided into three groups according to the initial treatment; IT steroid, systemic steroid and combined (systemic and IT steroid) groups. Second, patients were divided into two groups according to the salvage treatment in a refractory SSNHL; IT steroid and the control (non IT group). Fifty eight patients who did not respond to initial therapy were included in the second analysis. Hearing was assessed immediately before the treatment and 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 3 months after the treatments. Hearing recovery was defined as an improvement of >15 dB and the final hearing of 25-45 dB in the audiogram. RESULTS: When we analyzed the hearing recovery in initial treatment, the comparison of audiogram among three groups did not result in significantly different outcomes. There were no differences in the recovery rate in 2 and 4 weeks throughout all the frequencies. Also, the analysis of the salvage treatment demonstrated that neither IT steroid group nor control group was significantly effective in treating the refractory SSNHL. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that initial treatment of SSNHL with IT steroid alone is as effective as systemic steroid alone or a combination therapy. Also, salvage IT steroids for refractory SSNHL did not have any additional beneficial effects.
Hearing ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Salvage Therapy ; Steroids

OBJECTIVETo explore effective therapeutic methods for sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL).

METHODSThirty-four cases of mild and moderate SNHL who were definitely diagnosed with pure tone test and by otologists, including 24 cases of insufficiency of the liver and kidney, 10 cases of excess of liver-fire. They were treated with acupuncture at main points, Ermen (TE 21) or Tinggong (SI 19) or Tinghui (GB 2), and Yifeng (TE 17), Shenting (GV 24), Baihui (GB 20), Houding (GV19), Touwei (ST 9), Conger 1-3, Congnao 1-2; and adjuvant acupoints: Huangshu (KI 16), Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Taixi (KI 3) were added for insufficiency of the liver and kidney; Zhongwan (CV 12), Tianshu (ST 25), Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Taichong (LR 3) were added for excess of liver-fire. Sequential multipoint pulse stimulation was adopted, twice each week, for 20 consecutive weeks (40 sessions) and then pure tone test was carried out repeatedly.

RESULTSOf 34 cases (58 affected ears), 13 cases were cured and 21 improved, and the various linguistic frequency hearing threshold pure hearing values before and after treatment increased significantly (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture and continuous multipoint pulse stimulation has definite therapeutic effect on linguistic frequency hearing loss in the patient of SNHL.

Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/therapy* ; Hearing Loss, Sudden/therapy* ; Humans ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation ; Treatment Outcome ; United States

OBJECTIVETo understand the survey of studies on acupuncture and moxibustion for treatment of sensorineural hearing loss at home.

METHODSBy searching China journal web, 60 correlative papers from Jan. 1994 to Aug. 2004 were found and analyzed.

RESULTSDescriptive studies accounted for 71.7% and trial studies accounted for 28.3%. The diseases studied were mainly sudden deafness and the treatment methods were principally auricular acupuncture and body acupuncture. Most papers did not have definite diagnosis standard, and most criteria of therapeutic effects were self-stipulated, with no detail processing methods for the results, and only one paper reported adverse reaction.

CONCLUSIONThe therapeutic effects of acupuncture and moxibustion on sensorineural hearing loss need to be confirmed with studies of higher quality.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The effectiveness of intratympanic dexamethasone injections (ITD) alone is compared against the combination therapy of ITD and oral diuretics as treatments for acute low frequency sensorineural hearing loss (LFHL) without vertigo. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A total of 36 patients, with LFHL < or =500 Hz that had been developed within the last 1 month, were enrolled and then were retrospectively categorized into two groups: 1) those treated with ITD four times each day for 4 consecutive days (ITD only group; 19 patients) and 2) those treated with ITD in the same way and diuretics orally for 2 weeks (combination group; 17 patients). After 8 weeks, treatment outcomes were analyzed for LFHL using subjective improvement and audiometric change. RESULTS: Hearing thresholds at low frequencies < or =500 Hz were significantly reduced at 8 weeks after treatment in both ITD only and combination group (p<0.05). The cure rate of the combination group was higher than that of the ITD only group but was not statistically significant (52.9% vs. 42.1%, p>0.05). For subjective symptoms, there were no statistically significant differences in the improvement rate in either group (combination 58.8% vs. ITD only 63.2%, p>0.05). In pure tone audiometry, the improvement rate of the combination group was not significantly different from that of the ITD only group (76.5% vs. 73.7%, p>0.05). There was a significant correlation between the complete recovery rate and duration of symptoms. CONCLUSION: ITD alone is an effective treatment modality for LFHL within 1 month after onset. Diuretics have no additive effect for the recovery of hearing in patients with acute LFHL without vertigo.
Audiometry ; Dexamethasone ; Diuretics* ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Steroids ; Vertigo*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of vasodilators for sudden sensorineural hearing loss. METHOD: Based on the principles and methods of Cocharne Systematic Reviews, we searched the cochrane central register of controlled trials, PubMed, Embase, ISI, the China biological medicine datebase, VIP, CNKI and Wangfang database. Randomized controlled trials about using vasodilators to treat sudden sensorineural hearing loss were included. Meta-analysis was performed for the results of homogeneous studies using RevMan software. RESULT: Twenty eight randomized control trials met the inclusion criteria. Seven studies showed vasodilators was not more effective than placebo. From 14 studies comparing vasodilators with vasodilators and 9 studies comparing vasodilators with other drugs, no definite conclusion could be drawn. CONCLUSION The evidence currently available does not support the use of vasodilators in the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Further randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials are needed in order to define the efficacy and acceptability of vasodilators in the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; drug therapy ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Vasodilator Agents ; therapeutic use

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss generally refers to hearing losses of sensorineural origin, which have evolved over a period of a few hours to a few days. Therapy follows a polypragmatic approach based on the different theories of its origin. Therefore, drugs applied are mainly antiinflammatory, antiviral and vasoactive in nature. The likelihood of recovery is influenced by the shape of the audiogram, the age of the patients, and the presence or absence of vertigo. Very little information is available about the results of therapy for sudden sensorineural hearing loss with the delayed treatment. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic factors and therapeutic results of Lasix-Vitamin and carbogen inhalation therapy on sudden sensorineural hearing loss depending on the initiation time of treatment. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We studied 167 cases of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, which were treated with Lasix-Vitamin and carbogen inhalation therapy at the Chung-Ang University Hospital from May 1990 to April 2004. In a retrospective chart review, we evaluated the prognostic factors and the results depending on different beginning time of treatment. RESULTS: The therapeutic results showed that 90 cases (53.9%) gained hearing recovery. Patients who were treated within 7 days of onset showed recovery in 64 cases (76.2%), but 26 cases (31.3%) of the patients with who began treatment later than 8 days showed improvement of 15 dB or more in hearing threshold in pure tone audiometry. Among many prognostic factor, dizziness showed statistically significant correlation with the final result of hearing recovery in the delayed treatment group. CONCLUSION: The patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss must be treated within 7 days, and dizziness is significant prognostic factor of patient with delayed treatment.
Audiometry ; Dizziness ; Furosemide* ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; Humans ; Inhalation* ; Prognosis ; Respiratory Therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Vertigo ; Vitamins*

Hearing loss is very common and economically burdensome. No accepted therapeutic modality for sensorineural hearing loss is yet available; most clinicians emphasize rehabilitation, placing hearing aids and cochlear implants. Photobiomodulation (PBM) employs light energy to enhance or modulate the activities of specific organs, and is a popular non-invasive therapy used to treat skin lesions and neurodegenerative disorders. Efforts to use PBM to improve hearing have been ongoing for several decades. Initial in vitro studies using cell lines and ex vivo culture techniques have now been supplanted by in vivo studies in animals; PBM protects the sensory epithelium and triggers neural regeneration. Many reports have used PBM to treat tinnitus. In this brief review, we introduce PBM applications in hearing research, helpful protocols, and relevant background literature.
Animals ; Cell Line ; Cochlear Implants ; Culture Techniques ; Epithelium ; Hearing Aids ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Hearing ; In Vitro Techniques ; Low-Level Light Therapy ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Regeneration ; Rehabilitation ; Skin ; Tinnitus