Comparison of 2 Different Intratympanic Methylprednisolone Injection Schedules in Combination With Intravenous Dexamethasone for Unilateral Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Comparison between intratympanic injection of dexamethasone and methylprednisolone in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: A randomized clinical trial

Objective

To compare the hearing outcomes of patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss after intratympanic (IT) injection of methylprednisolone and dexamethasone.

Study design

Randomized case-controlled clinical trial.

Methods

Seventy-five patients diagnosed with idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss were randomly divided into two groups based on therapy. Both groups received oral prednisolone (10 mg/kg; maximum of 60 mg) for 10 days without tapering and received IT injections two times a week for 2 weeks (four injections in total). One group received an IT injection of a 40 mg/mL solution of methylprednisolone, and the other one, 4 mg/mL dexamethasone. Three comparisons between the initial and third-month hearing tests were made to assess the degree of hearing change: (1) pure tone improvement in each individual tone (0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 kHz); (2) word-recognition score improvement; and (3) complete, partial, and no recovery of hearing calculated (as defined by American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Clinical Practice Guidelines).

Results

The study was completed with 69 of the 75 patients-34 in the methylprednisolone group and 35 in the dexamethasone group. The groups' differences in frequency-specific hearing improvement were not statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference in the word recognition score improvement between the two groups. Additionally, there was no discernible difference between the two groups' hearing recovery rates.

Conclusion

Methylprednisolone and dexamethasone IT injection therapy had similar hearing outcomes.

Level of evidence

2.

Analysis of Therapeutic Options for Noise-Induced Hearing Loss: Retroauricular Injection of Methylprednisolone Sodium Succinate Combined with Hyperbaric Oxygenation

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical effect of retroaural injection of methylprednisolone sodium succinate combined with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on the treatment of noise-induced hearing loss.

METHODS

Case data of 220 patients with hearing loss treated at the Zhongda Hospital Southeast University from January 1, 2019 to August 1, 2023 were obtained. As per the treatment plan, the recruited patients were divided into two cohorts: 158 cases in the combined-treatment group (retroaural injection of methylprednisolone sodium succinate combined with HBO) and 62 cases in the single-hormone group (retroaural injection of methylprednisolone sodium succinate). Comparison of the clinical efficacies and postoperative complication rates of the two groups was performed after treatment. MS-Excel was used to build a database for all data, and SPSS26.0 was utilized in the statistical analysis of recorded data.

RESULTS

For patients with low-frequency, high-frequency, and flat descending type, the combined-treatment group showed significantly higher clinical effective rate than the single-hormone group (P < 0.05). For patients with disease duration ≤7 days, the combined-treatment group attained a significantly higher clinical effective rate was than the single-hormone group (P < 0.05). The safety of patients in both groups was evaluated mainly through their adverse reactions. The total incidence of adverse reactions in the single-hormone group reached 9.68%, and that in the combined-treatment group was 8.23%. The two groups revealed no significant difference in terms of incidence of adverse reactions (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

HBO combined with retroaural injection of methylprednisolone sodium succinate has good clinical efficacy and safety in the treatment of hearing loss.

Therapeutic efficacy of methylprednisolone sodium succinate via diverse administration routes for mid- to high-frequency sudden sensorineural hearing loss

BACKGROUND

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), characterized by a rapid and unexplained loss of hearing, particularly at moderate to high frequencies, presents a significant clinical challenge. The therapeutic use of methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) via different administration routes, in combination with conventional medications, remains a topic of interest.

AIM

To compare the therapeutic efficacy of MPSS administered via different routes in combination with conventional drugs for the treatment of mid- to high-frequency SSNHL.

METHODS

The medical records of 109 patients with mid- to high-frequency SSNHL were analyzed. The patients were divided into three groups based on the route of administration: Group A [intratympanic (IT) injection of MPSS combined with mecobalamin and Ginkgo biloba leaf extract injection], Group B (intravenous injection of MPSS combined with mecobalamin and Ginkgo biloba leaf extract injection), and Group C (single IT injection of MPSS). The intervention effects were compared and analyzed.

RESULTS

The posttreatment auditory thresholds in Group A (21.23 ± 3 .34) were significantly lower than those in Groups B (28.52 ± 3.36) and C (30.23 ± 4.21; P < 0.05). Group A also exhibited a significantly greater speech recognition rate (92.23 ± 5.34) than Groups B and C. The disappearance time of tinnitus, time to hearing recovery, and disappearance time of vertigo in Group A were significantly shorter than those in Groups B and C (P < 0.05). The total effective rate in Group A (97.56%) was significantly greater than that in Groups B and C (77.14% and 78.79%, χ 2 = 7.898, P = 0.019). Moreover, the incidence of adverse reactions in Groups A and C was significantly lower than that in Group B (4.88%, 3.03% vs 2.57%, χ 2 = 11.443, P = 0.003), and the recurrence rate in Group A was significantly lower than that in Groups B and C (2.44% vs 20.00% vs 21.21%, χ 2 = 7.120, P = 0.028).

CONCLUSION

IT injection of MPSS combined with conventional treatment demonstrates superior efficacy and safety compared to systemic administration via intravenous infusion and a single IT injection of MPSS. This approach effectively improves patients' hearing and reduces the risk of disease recurrence.