[Combined treatment supported by piracetam and/or acyclovir in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: experience with 81 cases].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the efficiency of piracetam and acyclovir in treating sudden hearing loss.


METHODS
Eightyone patients (44 males, 37 females; mean age 40.4 year; range 18 to 72 years) who had treatment between January 2002 and December 2006 with diagnosis of idiopathic sudden hearing loss were evaluated retrospectively. These patients were divided into four groups according to the treatment they received. The patients who had combined treatment constituted the first group; those who had combined treatment and piracetam the second; those who had combined treatment and acyclovir the third; those who had combined treatment, acyclovir, and piracetam the fourth group.


RESULTS
For the four treatment groups, in the pre-and post-treatment (10th day) evaluation of the treatment efficiency made by calculation of the hearing thresholds in 250-8000 Hz frequencies, no significant difference between the groups was determined (p>0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
No additional benefit was obtained with acyclovir and piracetam in treatment.
Department of Otolaryngology, Izmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
Süleyman Emre
SE
Karakurt
Mehmet Doğan
MD
Ozkul
Ibrahim
I
Cukurova
Erhan
E
Demirhan
Orhan Gazi
OG
Yiğitbaşi
D000212:Acyclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010889:Piracetam / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D000212:Acyclovir; D010889:Piracetam