Hearing results with combination steroid therapy for sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Background: Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss was described by Mc. Cabe in 1979 and, since then, many authors have tried to define, explain and correctly treat this disease. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders defines it as sudden sensorineural hearing loss of at least 30 dB in three contiguous audiometric frequencies in a period of 72 hours. Among the therapeutic strategies, corticosteroids have been shown to have the greatest benefit due to their anti-inflammatory and anti-cellular stress effects. Objective: To determine the hearing results with combined steroid therapy in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), according to the Siegel recovery criteria scale. Method: Study carried out in the otorhinolaryngology and head and neck surgery service of the Centro Medico Naval, Ciudad de Mexico, where 150 patients diagnosed with SSHL and who received combined therapy with intratympanic dexamethasone and systemic prednisone were included. Results: Therapeutic effectiveness was demonstrated by correlating therapeutic success in 82% of cases and therapeutic failure in 18% of cases, by correlating it with the Siegel recovery criteria scale. When evaluating the general average of the pure tone average levels at the beginning and 6 weeks after treatment, a statistically significant difference was obtained (p = 0.001). The average of the speech audiometry at the beginning and 6 weeks later had a statistically significant difference (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Initial combined steroid treatment for SSHL has been shown to have beneficial results according to Siegel recovery criteria scale.