Intratympanic steroids in severe to profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss as salvage treatment

Objectives

Intratympanic steroids are being increasingly used in the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) after the failure of systemic therapy. This study evaluated the efficacy of administering intratympanic dexamethasone (ITD) as a salvage treatment for severe to profound SSNHL.

Methods

We reviewed the medical records of patients who presented with severe to profound SSNHL between January 2007 and December 2009. ITD was given about 14 days after the initial systemic treatment. Successful recovery was defined as complete or partial recovery using Sigel''s criteria. We compared the results of treatment between the severe SSNHL (S-SSNHL) and profound SSNHL (P-SSNHL) groups.

Results

All the patients in the S-SSNHL group showed significant improvement, as compared to the P-SSNHL group (P=0.017). The recovery rate after the initial systemic treatment was 36% (9/25) in the S-SSNHL group and 18.1% (4/22) in the P-SSNHL group (P=0.207). In comparison, the recovery rate of ITD as a salvage treatment was 37.5% (6/16) in the S-SSNHL group and 5.5% (1/18) in the P-SSNHL group (P=0.03).

Conclusion

Our comparative study dose not support the efficacy of ITD as salvage treatment for patients with P-SSNHL as compared with that for S-SSNHL. We recommend that patients with P-SSNHL be informed about the low efficacy of ITD as a salvage treatment.     

Intratympanic steroids for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss

OBJECTIVES: We undertook to evaluate the effectiveness of intratympanic (IT) steroid injections for treating idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) by performing a retrospective case series study in a private otology practice. METHODS: A total of 21 eligible patients with ISSHL were included. We defined ISSHL as a hearing loss of 20 dB or more at at least 3 consecutive audiometric frequencies that develops within 72 hours or less and cannot be attributed to any commonly identifiable cause of sudden hearing loss. Three IT injections of 0.4 mL of 62.5 mg/mL methylprednisolone solution were administered 1 week apart. The end point for the study was a clinically significant change in audiometric values, with a positive response determined to be a 10-dB or greater improvement in the 4-tone pure tone average and/ or a 15% or greater improvement in the word discrimination score. Audiometric data were recorded just before therapy and 1 week after the last IT treatment. The potentially confounding variables recorded included age, sex, "prompt treatment" (defined as treatment within 14 days from onset), concurrent or prior treatment with oral steroids, and severity of hearing loss. RESULTS: The overall response rate to the IT steroid protocol was 67% (14 of 21 patients), with a 95% confidence interval of 43% to 85%. Backward stepwise logistic regression identified "prompt treatment" as the only variable that significantly affected the outcome. The response rate of the "prompt treatment" cohort was 91% (10 of 11 patients), with a 95% confidence interval of 59% to 100%. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the use of IT steroids as an early intervention in the treatment of ISSHL.     

鼓室注射地塞米松治疗突发性聋

目的：报告鼓室注射地塞米松治疗突发性感音神经性聋（突聋）的疗效。方法：对1例双耳突聋患者行鼓室注射地塞米松治疗。结果：双耳纯音气导听阈下降40dB以上。结论：鼓室注射地塞米松是治疗突聋的有效方法。     

Intratympanic dexamethasone for sudden sensorineural hearing loss after failure of systemic therapy

OBJECTIVE: Intratympanic steroids are increasingly used in the treatment of inner ear disorders, especially in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) who have failed systemic therapy. We reviewed our experience with intratympanic steroids in the treatment of patients with sudden SNHL to determine overall success, morbidity, and prognostic factors. HYPOTHESIS: Intratympanic steroids have minimal morbidity and the potential to have a positive effect on hearing recovery in patients with sudden SNHL who have failed systemic therapy. STUDY DESIGN: The authors conducted a retrospective review. METHODS: Patients presenting with sudden SNHL defined as a rapid decline in hearing over 3 days or less affecting 3 or more frequencies by 30 dB or greater who underwent intratympanic steroids therapy (24 mg/mL dexamethasone) were reviewed. Excluded were patients with Meniere disease, retrocochlear disease, autoimmune HL, trauma, fluctuating HL, radiation-induced HL, noise-induced HL, or any other identifiable etiology for sudden HL. Patients who showed signs of fluctuation of hearing after injection were excluded. Pretreatment and posttreatment audiometric evaluations including pure-tone average (PTA) and speech reception threshold (SRT) were analyzed. Patient variables as they related to recovery were studied and included patient age, time to onset of therapy, status of the contralateral ear, presence of diabetes, severity of HL, and presence of associated symptoms (tinnitus, vertigo). A 20-dB gain in PTA or a 20% improvement in SDS was considered significant. RESULTS:: Forty patients fit the criteria for inclusion in the study. The mean age of the patients was 54.8 years with a range from 17 to 84 years of age. Overall, 40% (n = 16) showed any improvement in PTA or SDS. Fourteen (35%) men and 26 (65%) women were included. Using the criteria of 20-dB improvement in PTA or 20% improvement in SDS for success, 27.5% (n = 11) showed improvement. The mean number of days from onset of symptoms to intratympanic therapy was 40 days with a range of 7 days to 310 days. A statistically significant difference was noted in those patients who received earlier injection (P = .0008, rank sum test). No patient receiving intratympanic dexamethasone after 36 days recovered hearing using 20-dB PTA decrease or a 20% increase in discrimination as criteria for recovery. Twelve percent (n = 5) of patients in the study had diabetes with 20% recovering after intratympanic dexamethasone (not significantly different from nondiabetics at 28.6%, Fisher exact test, P = 1.0). Comparison to other studies that used differing steroid type, concentration, dosing schedule, inclusion criteria, and criteria for success revealed, in many instances, a similar overall recovery rate. CONCLUSIONS: Difficulty in proving efficacy of a single modality is present in all studies on SNHL secondary to multiple treatment protocols, variable rates of recovery, and a high rate of spontaneous recovery. Forty percent of patients showed some improvement in SDS or PTA after treatment failure. When criteria of 20-dB PTA or 20% is considered to define improvement, the recovery rate was 27.5%. Modest improvement is seen with the current protocol of a single intratympanic steroid injection of 24 mg/mL dexamethasone in patients who failed systemic therapy. Dramatic hearing recovery in treatment failures was rarely encountered. No patient showed significant benefit from intratympanic steroids after 36 days when using this protocol for idiopathic sudden SNHL. If patients injected after 6 weeks are excluded from the study, the improvement rate increases from 26.9% to 39.3%. Earlier intratympanic injection had a significant impact on hearing recovery, although with any therapeutic intervention for sudden SNHL, early success may be attributed to natural history. If we further exclude seven patients treated with intratympanic steroids within 2 weeks of the onset of symptoms (i.e., study only those patients treated with intratympanic dexamethasone between 2 and 6 weeks after onset of symptoms), still, 26% improved by 20 dB or 20% SDS. The recovery rates after initial systemic failure are higher than would be expected in this treatment failure group given our control group (9.1%) and literature review. These findings indicate a positive effect from steroid perfusion in this patient population.     

Intratympanic steroids for combined treatment of idiopathic sudden hearing loss: when is it too late?

Background: Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) requires early treatment.

Objective: To describe our experience on intratympanic steroid treatment (ITS) of ISSNHL analyzing the delay to start therapy as prognostic factor.

Material and methods: We perform a retrospective study on ISSNHL treated with systemic steroids without full recovery on PTA (pure tone average) according to Siegel criteria. They were divided into two different groups: one group that additionally received ITS as combined therapy (treatment group), and another without it (control group). We analyzed the hearing recovery at 6 months and 2 years, and the influence of the delay to start ITS in the recovery.

Results: After ITS was added, further complete recovery was achieved in 10 patients of the treatment group. After 6 months, PTA improvement in the treatment group was 10.84?dB, compared to 1.13?dB in the control group (p<.0001). Nevertheless, patients starting such combination of oral steroids and ITS within 8 days of diagnosis had an additional gain of 15?dB in the first 6 months, that increased to 19.17?dB after 24 months (p<.022).

Conclusions: When ITS was added within the first 8 days, a significantly better and more stable response was obtained.     

鼓室内注射治疗难治性突发性耳聋52例

目的 探讨鼓室内注射激素作为难治性突发性耳聋的补救治疗措施的临床疗效。方法 重度及极重度突发性耳聋患者96例,接受常规治疗加全身应用激素2周效果不佳,其中52例接受鼓室注射激素,另外44例拒绝鼓室内注射而继续口服药物治疗。纯音测听法(PTA)检测患者补救治疗前后听力,比较气导听阈(0.5、1.0、2.0、4.0 kHz四个频率气导之平均值),分析两组患者补救治疗前后听力结果。结果 鼓室注射组听力提高10 dB以上的患者16例,有效率为30.8%;而对照组仅有3例,有效率为6.8%。两组听力改善值之间的差异有统计学意义(P<0.01)。结论 鼓室内激素注射对突发性耳聋常规治疗无效的患者有良好的疗效,可以作为一种补救治疗措施。     

Intratympanic steroids as primary initial treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness, dosage, safety and comfort of intratympanic steroids as primary initial treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). Prospective nonrandomized clinical practice study was performed in Tertiary referral center university hospital. A total of 35 consecutive patients suffering from newly diagnosed sudden sensorineural hearing loss with mean pure-tone average thresholds of 81 ± 21 dB were treated. No previous therapy had been undertaken. Intratympanic steroid injection as primary initial treatment was administered during 2 weeks on a twice a week schedule, between 2010 and 2011. Treatment was started on average within 2 days of symptoms onset. Pre and post-treatment audiometric evaluations were analyzed on follow-up as well as tolerance of the procedure and possible adverse effects. 66–85 % of patients achieved successful treatment according to the different outcome criteria used to evaluate hearing improvement (Furuhashi criteria/improvement of ≥10 dB in pure-tone average). Mean post-treatment improvement regarding pure-tone average was 34 ± 21 dB. A 48 ± 43 % improvement in speech discrimination score was observed. Patients received an average of 18 mg of methylprednisolone per injection and a total dose of 72 mg per treatment cycle. No serious adverse effects were noted. Intratympanic steroid injection is an effective, safe and well-tolerated office based-procedure for the treatment of ISSHL as primary initial treatment that can avoid the potential adverse effects of systemic steroids. A higher dose, schedule of administration as well as standardization of hearing recovery criteria still need to be established.     

鼓室内注射地塞米松治疗突聋的临床研究

目的:观察鼓室内注射地塞米松治疗突聋的临床效果。方法:对21例突聋患者采用鼓膜穿刺注入5 g/L地塞米松1 ml治疗,每日1次,7 d为1个疗程。比较地塞米松鼓室内注射前后4个频率(500、1 000、2 000、4 000 Hz)气导纯音听阈均值(PTA),下降10 dB以上为有效。结果:21例患者鼓室内注射地塞米松前后PTA分别为(65.65±24.73)dB HL和(50.25±25.59)dB HL,有明显下降,P<0.01。10例有效,11例无效,总有效率为47.6%。对发病至治疗的时间短、不伴眩晕的突聋患者应用鼓室内注射地塞米松治疗效果好。本组病例未出现鼓室内感染、鼓膜穿孔和听力下降。结论:鼓室内注射地塞米松治疗突聋安全、有效,发病至治疗的时间以及是否伴有眩晕是影响预后的因素。     

The effect of intratympanic steroid injection frequency in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Purpose

To evaluate the effect of intratympanic steroid injection frequency on hearing outcomes for patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

鼓室注射甲泼尼龙琥珀酸钠治疗突聋

目的观察甲泼尼龙琥珀酸钠鼓室途径给药治疗系统疗法无效的突发性聋患者的疗效，探索突聋预后影响因素。方法经全身系统治疗无效的突聋患者42例，采用鼓膜穿刺法注入40mg／ml甲泼尼龙琥珀酸钠0．3-0．5ml，隔日1次，连续应用3-7次。比较鼓室注射前后0．5-4kHz气导纯音听阈均值差异，分析相关因素对预后的影响。结果鼓室内注射疗法治疗前后，全组病例气导平均听阂分别为（66．48±17．03）dBHL和（49．9±20．93）dBHL，治疗前后平均听阈差异明显（P〈0．01）；其中19例有效，总有效率为45．2％。听力损失程度、伴有眩晕与否及发病后鼓室注射疗法开始时间等因素对预后影响明显。结论甲泼尼龙琥珀酸钠鼓室注射疗法治疗突聋安全有效，可以作为经全身系统治疗无效突聋患者的后续治疗选择。一般治疗无效者，应尽早采用本疗法。     

Intratympanic corticosteroids for sudden idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether instillation of intratympanic steroids is effective in the treatment of sudden idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent intratympanic steroid treatment (methylprednisolone and/or dexamethasone) between 1996 and 2002 at a tertiary care university otology clinic. Thirty-three patients were identified, of which 26 met inclusion criteria for having an idiopathic hearing loss. Pretreatment and posttreatment pure-tone audiograms and speech discrimination scores were compared. RESULTS: Overall, there was a 27.2 +/- 5.7 dB improvement in the pure-tone thresholds and a 25.4 +/- 6.2% improvement in speech discrimination scores. Those treated within 10 days of onset had a statistically significant better outcome than those treated after 10 days. No adverse reactions or complications were reported. CONCLUSION: Instillation of intratympanic steroids represents a safe and potentially effective treatment of sudden idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss.     

Intratympanic steroid delivery by an indwelling catheter in refractory severe sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Objective

Many studies over the last decade showed favorable outcomes with intratympanic (IT) steroid treatment, alone as salvage treatment or in combination with conventional systemic therapy (ST). However, in severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss resistant to ST, the optimal infusion mode, the type and concentration of the solution, the preferable drug, its total amount, and the duration and fractionation of the treatment are still debated. Aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility and the outcomes of a direct and constant IT delivery of dexamethasone (DEX) by means of a new indwelling catheter.

Intratympanic steroid injection as a first-line therapy in uremia patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Conclusions: ITSI as a first-line therapy in uremia patients with SSNHL offers a valid and safe treatment compared with intravenous systemic steroid treatment. A specific pathophysiology caused by possible sodium pump paralysis may be explained for uremia patients with SSNHL. Objective: To compare the efficacy of intratympanic steroid injection (ITSI) with that of systemic intravenous steroids as a first-line therapy in uremia patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Materials and methods: A total of 23 consecutive uremia patients with SSNHL were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into two groups: the ITSI group (n = 15) and the non-ITSI group (n = 8), in which patients received intravenous systemic steroid treatment. The two groups were homogeneous in all respects. Results: The hearing improvement and relative gain were statistically significant between the two groups. The value of hearing gain (ΔPTA = PTA _pre – PTA _post) in the ITSI group and the non-ITSI group was 24.6 ± 16.4dB and 8.4 ± 19.3dB. The value of relative gain (ΔPTA/PTA_pre) in the ITIS group and the non-ITSI group was 31.1 ± 22% and 9.4 ± 20.5%. In the ITSI group, 11 patients (73.3%) exhibited hearing recovery (ΔPTA > 10 dB).     

Intratympanic steroids for sensorineural hearing loss

Corticosteroids are standard treatment for a number of inflammatory and immune-mediated inner ear diseases. In recent years there has been growing interest in intratympanic administration of steroids as a means of achieving high inner ear drug concentration and low risk of systemic side effects. Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss seems to be the condition with the greatest potential for both study and clinical use of intratympanic steroid treatment. Despite promising preliminary observations, there re-main many unanswered questions about this treatment modality.     

鼓室注射地塞米松治疗糖尿病伴突发性耳聋的临床研究

目的观察鼓室内注射地塞米松治疗糖尿病伴突发性耳聋的疗效。方法将46例Ⅱ型糖尿病伴突发性耳聋患者按其意愿分为治疗组(21例)和对照组(25例),每组均采用扩血管、营养神经及胰岛素降糖等治疗;治疗组加用经鼓室注射地塞米松(5 g/L),隔日注射1次,共5次,疗程结束(10 d)后复查纯音听阈。结果治疗组未出现化脓性中耳炎、鼓膜穿孔、听力下降,其总有效率(15/21,71.4%)明显优于对照组(10/25,40.0%),两组差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论鼓室注射地塞米松治疗糖尿病伴突发性耳聋有效,它可避免全身激素用药的不良反应,作为糖尿病伴突发性耳聋患者的初始治疗是一个合理的选择。     

Intratympanic dexamethasone with hyaluronic acid in the treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss after failure of intravenous steroid and vasoactive therapy

The purpose of this prospective study was to test whether intratympanic application of dexamethasone/hyaluronic acid improves hearing outcome in patients with pantonal idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL), in patients with sudden deafness or sudden profound SHL and in patients with predominant high-frequency ISSHL who are refractory to intravenous steroid and vasoactive therapy. The study took place in an academic tertiary referral hospital involving 21 patients with pantonal ISSHL, 10 patients with sudden deafness or sudden profound SHL and 9 patients with a high-frequency ISSHL. Intratympanic dexamethasone/hyaluronic acid was administered in the affected ear. Hearing was evaluated by means of standard pure-tone audiometry. The differences between pure-tone hearing thresholds by air conduction before intravenous therapy and before the beginning of the intratympanic therapy, as well as before and after intratympanic therapy, were calculated. Statistical analysis was performed by means of the Wilcoxons test for paired samples. Intratympanic injection of dexamethasone/hyaluronic acid results in a significant global (pantonal) improvement in hearing in patients with pantonal ISSHL. It also effects improvement in hearing at selected frequencies (namely at 1.5 and 3 kHz) in patients with a predominant high-frequency ISSHL and at selected frequencies (namely at 0.5, 0.75 and 1 kHz) in patients with sudden deafness or sudden profound SHL. Neither systemic nor local side effects were observed. Intratympanic administration of dexamethasone/hyaluronic acid provides a safe and efficacious therapeutic option for the treatment of patients with pantonal and high-frequency ISSHL who dont respond to intravenous steroid and vasoactive therapy.Abbreviations dB HL decibel hearing level - (IS)SHL (idiopathic sudden) sensorineural hearing loss - kHz kiloHertz     

Prognostic factors of profound idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Profound idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss is thought to have a poor prognosis, but few studies have focused on this condition. We aimed to assess the impact of patient factors, audiologic parameters, and salvage intratympanic steroid injection therapy on the prognosis of profound idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The demographic, clinical, and audiologic data, degree of hearing recovery, and efficacy of intratympanic steroid injection therapy in 576 patients with profound idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (mean age 56.2 ± 14.9 years) who had been admitted at four tertiary referral centers between 2000 and 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. The mean hearing level at the initial presentation was 108.1 ± 9.5 dB. Many patients experienced vertigo (52.1 %) and tinnitus (77.4 %). At the 2-month follow-up, 172 (29.8 %) patients showed some degree of hearing recovery, but only 21 (3.6 %) patients recovered normal hearing. Further, the 116 patients who had received salvage intratympanic steroid injections showed a better audiologic outcome (improvement, 26.1 ± 24.3 vs. 15.7 ± 22.1 dB; P = 0.000) than those who had not (n = 429). In conclusion, a higher degree of hearing loss at the initial presentation indicates a poorer prognosis. Salvage intratympanic steroid injection therapy may improve the hearing of patients with profound idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss after the failure of systemic steroid therapy.