Comparing Therapeutic Results Of The Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Starting Time For Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess the impact of the hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy starting time (early or late) on the treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL).
METHODS: A retrospective analysis examined 203 patients with ISSNHL between January 2014 and June 2018 at Van Training And Research Hospital. We divided the patients into two groups according to the HBO therapy starting time as follows: early HBO (n = 88) and late HBO (n = 115).
RESULTS: The early HBO group demonstrated complete, partial, weak, and no recovery in 21 (23.9%), 15 (17.0%), 17 (19.3%), and 35 (39.8%) patients, respectively. The late HBO group demonstrated complete, partial, weak, and no recovery in 5 (4.3%), 9 (7.8%), 15 (13.0%), and 86 (74.8%) patients, respectively. In addition, 53 (60.2%) and 29 (25.2%) patients in the early and late HBO groups, respectively, responded to treatment, which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Considering patients with severe and profound hearing loss only, we observed a statistically significant difference in response to treatment between the early and late HBO groups (P < 0.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that providing HBO therapy during the first 14 days of the treatment period contributed significantly to treatment success. Therefore, patients with severe and profound hearing loss can significantly benefit by starting HBO therapy at an early stage of the disease.