Hyperbaric oxygenation in early treatment of sudden deafness

BACKGROUND: The treatment of sudden deafness with hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) is a new method, which is a routine application in some German centers and subject to contraindications can be assessed as relatively reliable. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a retrospective study, data were analyzed from 49 patients who had received primary HBO therapy because of sudden deafness (up to 3 weeks old). In comparison to the standard infusion therapy according to Michel, the primary HBO therapy led to inferior results (no change in hearing: right ear 63.88%, left ear 60.98%; improvement in hearing: right ear 22.49%, left ear 21.71%; decrease in hearing: right ear 13.64%, left ear 17.32%). RESULTS: Considering the spontaneous remission of sudden deafness, neither the results of the infusion therapy nor those of the hyperbaric oxygenation surpass the rate of complete spontaneous remission. On the basis of our research, primary treatment of "fresh" sudden deafness with hyperbaric oxygenation cannot be recommended. CONCLUSIONS: The question remains open whether HBO as a secondary treatment for sudden deafness leads to improvements for the patient after unsuccessful standard therapy.