The widely accepted treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is corticosteroid treatment (oral or intratympanic). The main goal of this work is to define the significance of the time between symptom onset and treatment initiation, as well as other prognostic factors, for hearing improvement.
This retrospective study included 666 patients treated for SSNHL. Demographic data, audiometry, treatment method, time since symptom onset, and associated symptoms were recorded for each patient. The patients were divided into five groups according to the treatment initiation time—half a week, one week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, or 4 weeks and over—after symptom onset. The degree of improvement was assessed by comparing the audiometry at the beginning and the end of the treatment.
The average period of hearing loss from symptom onset to treatment initiation was 10.8 days. Significant differences were found between the groups of half a week, one week, and 2 weeks and the groups of 3 weeks and 4 weeks and over (each separately,
The threshold for treatment initiation time is up to 2 weeks, after which the amplitude of hearing improvement decreases significantly. The other prognostic factors measured were not found to be statistically significant predictors.