Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2014; 18 - a2489
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1388672

Intratympanic Corticotherapy and Tinnitus Control after Sudden Hearing Loss

Isabelle Braz de Oliveira Silva 1, Carlos Augusto Costa Pires de Oliveira 1, Fayez Bahmad Jr1, Karine Tabata de carvalho bispo 1, Monique Antunes de Souza Chelminski Barreto 1, Paulo Igor Luz Nunes Lial 1
  • 1Hospital Universitário de Brasília

Introduction: Sudden deafness is characterized by an abrupt onset, often idiopathic, and tinnitus is present, representing the main complaint in up to 80% of patients.

Objective: The study aimed to review carefully all studies of the past 10 years on sudden deafness and tinnitus, and analyze the effectiveness of oral and intratympanic steroids for tinnitus control in eight patients with sudden deafness and severe disabling tinnitus.

Method: An analytical prospective in which 64 patients after sudden deafness with tinnitus were monitored, and 8 of these suffering with severe disabling tinnitus underwent hearing evaluation and application of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and Visual Analogue Scale before, during, and after sudden deafness and treated with oral and intratympanic steroids. A systematic review of publications was made on the topic in the library of PubMed/MEDLINE, with Keywords sudden deafness and tinnitus.

Results: Eleven scientific studies were analyzed. Eight patients treated with intratympanic and oral corticosteroids were selected; just two patients showed improvement in hearing but seven of them showed big improvement in their tinnitus, which was demonstrated by an improvement in the values of the degrees of severity of tinnitus.

Conclusion: Patients with sudden deafness and severe disabling tinnitus who underwent intratympanic and oral corticosteroids showed, in this study, significant reduction and/or remission of tinnitus.

Keywords: hearing loss, sudden hearing loss, tinnitus.