Steroid treatment of hearing loss in enlarged vestibular aqueduct anomaly.
OBJECTIVE
1. Determine whether corticosteroid therapy improves hearing thresholds of patients with enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) anomaly. 2. Determine sample size for a future prospective study.


METHODS
Retrospective chart review hearing loss in EVA patients comparing patients treated with corticosteroids and untreated patients.


RESULTS
Eighty percent (n=5) of patients treated with steroids for hearing loss demonstrated audiometric improvement, compared to 14.3% of patients (n=7) not treated. The pure tone average improved by 17.7dB in the steroid treated group. A prospective, placebo-controlled trial would need between 19 and 45 patients in each group, treatment versus no-treatment, to achieve statistical significance.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with EVA who develop hearing loss have a high rate of hearing improvement when treated with corticosteroid therapy. The hearing improvement appears to be better than spontaneous recovery.
Grimmer
Johannes Fredrik
JF
Division of Otolaryngology, Department of Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, United States. fred.grimmer@imail.org
Hedlund
Gary
G
Park
Albert
A
D000293:Adolescent; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014723:Vestibular Aqueduct / Q000002:abnormalities*
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011241:Prednisone