Hearing evaluation of intratympanic methylprednisolone perfusion for refractory sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of intratympanic methylprednisolone perfusion (IMP) through a microcatheter in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) who failed a conventional treatment.

Study Design: Prospective clinical study.

Setting: This study was conducted in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School.

Subjects and Methods: Patients who had failed a minimum 10-day conventional treatment were included. Twenty-six patients in the study group (SG) received methylprednisolone perfusion through a microcatheter placed into the tympanum once a day for 10 days and the conventional treatment. Twenty-three patients who received a second conventional treatment (no steroid) served as the comparison group (CG). All patients were followed up for three months after the end of treatment.

Results: The effective rates for SG and CG were 50 percent (61.9% when only patients with an interval from onset to IMP ≤ 60 days were included) and 21.7 percent, respectively (χ² = 4.194, P = 0.041). The pure-tone average improvement was 20.2 ± 15.6 dB in SG, and 9.2 ± 13.7 dB in CG (z = 2.51, P = 0.011). In SG, hearing improvement at low frequencies was better than that at high frequencies. The interval from onset to IMP affected the efficacy of IMP.

Conclusion: IMP through a microcatheter is a promising treatment for refractory SSNHL. The data suggest that the treatment may be more effective when administered at the earlier stages of SSNHL when the conventional treatment has failed.