Comparison of Treatment Modalities in Adult Idiopathic Sudden Hearing Loss: A 5-year Outcome from a Tertiary Referral Center.

Aim: Although there are many treatment options for the treatment sudden idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), the most effective treatment method is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal treatment option for SSHL by examining the 5-years patient data of our clinic. Methods: The patients who were diagnosed as SSHL in our clinic between January 1, 2016 and July 31, 2021 were included in the present study. The treatment in groups were only oral steroid (OS) (group 1, n=30), OS and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) (group 2, n=30), OS and intratympanic steroid therapy (ITS) (group 3, n=30) and OS+ITS+HBOT (group 4, n=30). The baseline pure tone audiometry (PTA), 3^rd month PTA averages, audiological hearing gains and treatment success (a gain more than 15 Db in PTA) were determined and compared statistically. Results: The initial PTA averages (dB) in groups were 46.07±14.20, 45±12.49, 45.83±10.92, and 45.93±10.29, respectively. There were significant differences between the groups according to the PTA after treatment (p<0.05). In the after-treatment PTA threshold evaluation, the mean of group 4 was statistically significantly lowest (p<0.05). There were significant differences between the groups according to the PTA gain (p<0.05). In the paired comparisons of the groups according to PTA gain, the value of group 4 was significantly highest in all groups (p<0.05). No significant difference was found between the groups according to the other parameters (p>0.05). Conclusion: In this study, the combined (oral+IT+HBOT) therapy was superior to other treatment modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]