title: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy with short duration intratympanic steroid therapy for sudden hearing loss.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  The excellent tolerability of intratympanic (IT) steroid offers the possibility to use a high dose, which would appear to be more effective than intravenous (IV) steroid treatment, when both are associated with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the study was to assess for the first time the efficacy of the association of IT steroid and HBO therapy in patients presenting idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL), comparing this protocol with another consisting of IV steroid administration and HBO therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 48 patients presenting ISSNHL were recruited. Patients were divided into two categories: the severe ISSNHL group with a pure-tone average (PTA) between 70 and 90 dB, and the profound ISSNHL group with a PTA >90 dB. The first protocol consisted of 10 days of HBO therapy together with IV methylprednisolone 1 mg/kg body weight for 7 days; the second protocol consisted of HBO therapy for 10 days, associated with an IT injection of prednisolone at a dose of 62.5 mg/ml, once a day for 3 consecutive days, performed 2 h before the HBO therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall success rate was superior in the group submitted to IT steroid and HBO therapy. Nevertheless, these clinical results were not statistically significant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Filipo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Attanasio
authors.forename: Marika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viccaro
authors.forename: Francesca Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rocco
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pietropaoli
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Covelli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014432:Tympanic Membrane; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011239:Prednisolone