Butylphthalide enhances recovery from sudden deafness

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Pharmacology
• Cellular Biology

Background:

• Sudden deafness (SD) is often caused by cochlear microcirculation disturbances.
• Ischemia-reperfusion injury in the cochlea involves reactive oxygen species (ROS).
• Butylphthalide demonstrates potential in improving microcirculation, reducing ROS, and inhibiting apoptosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of butylphthalide in patients diagnosed with sudden deafness.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 64 ears, with 32 treated with butylphthalide and 32 with a non-butylphthalide control.
• Butylphthalide was administered orally for 10 consecutive days on an empty stomach.
• Initial audiological and clinical data showed no significant differences between the groups.

Main Results:

• The butylphthalide group exhibited significantly greater hearing gains at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz compared to the control group (P<0.01).
• Pure-tone average (PTA) hearing gains were significantly higher in the butylphthalide group (P<0.01).

Conclusions:

• Butylphthalide treatment led to significantly better hearing recovery in patients with sudden deafness.
• Butylphthalide is confirmed as a treatment with a definite therapeutic effect on sudden deafness.