In this Research Rundown we focus once again on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for treatment of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL).  This research is a bit different from Episode 12, as this study discusses HBOT in combination with an oral steroid to treat SSHL.

Highlights:

  • This study compares three treatment option groups for SSHL.
    • Oral Steroid ONLY (55 participants)
    • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy ONLY (60 participants)
    • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy & Oral Steroid (56 participants)
  • The conclusion is pretty straightforward. Hyperbaric oxygen Therapy alone gets significantly better results than the oral steroid. But the oral steroid does show positive indication of improvement.  Combine the two together — HBOT and oral steroid — you get the best of all three for a very encouraging treatment protocol for SSHL.
  • The study shows that HBOT is most beneficial for SSHL if the condition is treated within the first 14 days of onset when it’s still in an actute state. The study recommends five HBOT treatments for acute SSHL.
  • If the patient can’t get HBOT within the first 14 days of experiencing SSHL, the study recommends to still seek out HBOT even though the patient may now be in a chronic state, requiring more treatments.

Read the Study