Treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss

A retrospective review was done, examining the charts of 41 patients admitted to The Eye and Ear Hospital of Pittsburgh with a diagnosis of sudden hearing loss (SHL). Treatment consisted of (1) systemic steroids; (2) daily intravenous histamine infusion; and (3) carbogen (95% oxygen and 5% CO2) inhalation. Parameters examined included age, sex, duration of symptoms prior to admission, days hospitalized, side of lesion, vestibular symptoms, tinnitus, blood work, radiography, vestibular function (ENG), and serial audiograms. Fifty-four percent showed improvement in hearing, defined as at least a 10-dB increase at any frequency following therapy. There was no correlation of preexisting signs, symptoms, or findings with hearing recovery. Since the natural history of this process demonstrates spontaneous improvement in approximately two thirds of patients without treatment, we conclude that for the group of patients that we treated, our therapeutic regimen was ineffectual.