title: Systemic steroid versus combined systemic and intratympanic steroid treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of oral steroid treatment versus combined oral and intratympanic dexamethasone injection for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective case review in which 30 patients in the oral steroid group and 39 patients in the combined oral and intratympanic steroid injection group were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The comparison of the initial pure tone audiometry (PTA) threshold results revealed a significant difference between the systemic steroid (SS) group and the systemic and intratympanic steroid group. The initial PTA was 74.33 ± 22.64 dB (mean ± SD) in the SS group and 87.49 ± 26.22 dB (mean ± SD) in the intratympanic steroid group. The difference in the initial PTA results was statistically significant between the SS group and intratympanic steroid group (P < 0.05, P = 0.032). The pure-tone gain in the SS group was 20.97 ± 27.47 dB (mean ± SD), and that of the group treated with both systemic and intratympanic steroids was 19.36 ± 22.16 dB (mean ± SD) (P = 0.49).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study indicate that, in sudden sensorineural hearing loss, the administration of intratympanic steroids in conjunction with SS therapy appears to have the same effect on the restoration of hearing "as the effect obtained using SS therapy alone."
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey. baysalelif@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Elif
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baysal
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tunç
authors.forename: Tekin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baglam
authors.forename: Cengiz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Durucu
authors.forename: Arzu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oz
authors.forename: Zeynel Abidin
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Karatas
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polat
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Celenk
authors.forename: Semih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mumbuc
authors.forename: Muzaffer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanlikama
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D003907:Dexamethasone