Thromboelastography predicting the prognosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss

To explore the association between thromboelastography and the clinical features as well as the prognosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL).

Single-centre, retrospective study.

A hospital in China.

In total, 133 patients presented with SSNHL within 2 weeks before the study, who did not receive treatment.

The patients' medical history was collected. Audiological, imaging and haematological examinations were performed before treatment. Patients with abnormal thromboelastography were re-examined 1 week after treatment, and efficacy was evaluated 1 month after treatment. The chi-squared test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to analyse the association between factors, such as vertigo, degree and type of hearing loss, vestibular function, inner ear MRI results, thromboelastography and efficacy of treatment.

Thromboelastography was correlated with prognosis (p = 0.049) and degree (p = 0.030) and type of hearing loss (p = 0.013) in patients with SSNHL. The R (p =  0.002) and angle values (p =  0.010) correlated with prognosis. The MA (p =  0.022) and G values (p =  0.020) correlated with the degree of hearing loss. The R (p =  0.033) value correlated with inner ear MRI results, and the ΔG (p =  0.010) value correlated with fibrinogen levels. ΔThromboelastography (p =  0.032) was correlated with the prognosis of patients with abnormal thromboelastography results. Logistic regression analysis showed that thromboelastography correlated with prognosis (p =  0.013), and Δthromboelastography correlated with the prognosis of patients with abnormal thromboelastography results (p =  0.013) and vertigo (p =  0.016).

Thromboelastography is an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of SSNHL with the R and angle values playing a major role.