title: Combination therapy with systemic steroids, an antiviral agent, anticoagulants, and stellate ganglion block for treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is commonly defined as a loss of at least 30 dB in three contiguous frequencies occurring within 3 days. Systemic steroid administration has become the most widely accepted treatment option for SSNHL. Since viral infection and vascular compromise are considered specific causes of SSNHL, antiviral agents, anticoagulants, and stellate ganglion block have been used for its treatment, although the evidence of their effectiveness is weak. The present study evaluated the hearing recovery rate in the combination therapy group (systemic steroids, antiviral agent, anticoagulants, and stellate ganglion block) in comparison with patients treated with systemic steroids alone.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 85 patients diagnosed with SSNHL were treated with combination therapy (group A, 46 patients) or systemic steroids only (group B, 39 patients). Hearing improvement was defined as a hearing gain of more than slight improvement using Siegel's criteria. All patients were treated with a 10-day course of systemic steroids (10-mg dexamethasone for 5 days, followed by tapering for 5 days). Acyclovir, heparin, and stellate ganglion block were included in the group A treatment regimen.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall rate of hearing improvement was 60.9% (28/46 patients) in group A, which was significantly higher than that (38.5%, 15/39 patients) in group B. The distribution of prognostic factors was not significantly different between the two groups with the exception of the degree of initial hearing loss, which was more severe in group A. Upon analysis according to prognostic factors, group A showed a better hearing improvement recovery rate than group B in patients with hearing loss >70 dB, age >41 years, dizziness, and early treatment (<1 week).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thus SSNHL patients treated with combination therapy have a higher likelihood of hearing improvement than those treated with systemic steroids alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Kye Hoon
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Chi-Kyou
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Dae
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Moo Kyun
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Don
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Combination therapy; Hearing recovery; Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss; Steroid