A Hospital based study on sudden sensorineural Hearing Loss: It's audiological characteristics and prevalence

Machine Learning Models for Predicting Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Outcome: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Machine Learning models have been applied in various healthcare fields, including Audiology, to predict disease outcomes. The prognosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss is difficult to predict due to the variable course of the disease. Hence, researchers have attempted to utilize ML models to predict the outcome of patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The objectives of this study were to review the performance of these machine learning models and assess their applicability in real-world settings.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. Only studies that built machine learning prediction models were included, and studies that used algorithms such as logistic regression only for the purpose of adjusting for confounding variables were excluded. The risk of bias was assessed using the Prediction model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST).

RESULTS

After screening, a total of 7 papers were eligible for synthesis. In total, these studies built 48 ML models. The most common utilized algorithms were Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machine (SVM) and boosting. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve ranged between 0.59 and 0.915. All of the included studies had a high risk of bias; hence there are concerns regarding their applicability.

CONCLUSION

Although these models showed great performance and promising results, future studies are still needed before these models can be applied in a real-world setting. Future studies should employ multiple cohorts, different feature selection methods, and external validation to further validate the models' applicability.

Cochlear Implant After Sudden Onset Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Case Report

We present an uncommon case of a pediatric patient with sudden-onset sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), a medical condition in which a person experiences a rapid loss of 30 or more decibels within a matter of hours or days. The patient is a nine-year-old female who, two years prior, suddenly lost hearing in her left ear after a 24-hour episode of nausea, vomiting, and left ear pain. She presented to our clinic two years after the episode, long after the window for evidence-based treatment for acute SSNHL, such as corticosteroid therapy or antivirals, had passed. However, she remembered the moment of her hearing loss vividly, an uncommon occurrence in pediatric patients. CT, MRI, family history, and physical exam were unremarkable. The patient had a brief hearing aid trial where she described being able to hear the sound but did not have any clarity in understanding the sound. The patient was ultimately treated with a unilateral cochlear implant and showed excellent subjective and audiogram responses. Continued research on the management of SSNHL in pediatric patients who present outside of the acute therapeutic window is needed.