Intratympanic injection with dexamethasone for sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of intratympanic steroid therapy in adults with sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and to analyse the factors associated with treatment outcome. DESIGN: Retrospective study of patients undergoing intratympanic steroid injection for sudden sensorineural hearing loss between 1 January 2006 and 30 June 2007 at a teaching hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. RESULTS: Patients who received intratympanic steroid therapy within seven days of disease onset achieved a significantly better response rate (76.1 per cent), compared with the delayed treatment group (50 per cent). The total response rate, after four steroid injections, was 68.9 per cent. Patients with low and mid-frequency hearing loss were more responsive to steroid treatment. Vertigo was a negative prognostic factor for recovery. There were no long-term sequelae of intratympanic steroid treatment. CONCLUSION: Intratympanic steroid injection may be a simple and effective treatment for patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss.