[Value of the administration of trimetazidine associated with hemodilution in the treatment of sudden deafness. Report of a multicenter study].

Sudden deafness is a medical emergency, for which etiopathology is ill-known and no therapeutic consensus exists. This study is aimed at demonstrating that a greater audiometric gain can be achieved if trimetazidine, a major cellular anti-ischemia agent, is associated with hemodilution, than when the treatment is based on hemodilution only. 42 patients suffering from sudden deafness were all treated with hemodilution before their 7th day of deafness, half of them being given 3 tablets of trimetazidine daily in addition and the other half placebo, during one month. The results of this double-blind trial demonstrate an additional audiometric gain of 10% in the trimetazidine group for all frequencies, as well as a higher percentage of total recovery, ie. 63% vs. 47% in the placebo group. No particular sensitivity to treatment was noted according to the shape of the audiometric curve or in the case of initial cophosis, known to be of poor prognosis. The statistic significance was not established due to the small number of cases. The association of trimetazidine and hemodilution therefore seems to be an interesting therapeutic approach for sudden deafness, owing to the clinically appreciable audiometric improvement we have noted.