Synonym
Hearing loss engl. : sudden deafnessThe nature and the necessity of a therapy of a hearing loss have been critically discussed again and again in recent years. The reason was studies that documented an equally fast recovery in patients with and without therapy.
In the past, sudden deafness was considered an absolute emergency, similar to a heart attack. Today, a detailed examination and possible treatment should be carried out as soon as possible, but is no longer an emergency situation. In Germany, infusion therapy is still considered and carried out as the therapy of first choice in order to restore normal blood flow as quickly as possible.
This form of therapy is supported by the above-mentioned assumption that sudden hearing loss is caused by reduced blood flow. Patients are treated by infusion for 8-10 days with blood flow enhancing drugs such as HES (hydroxyethyl starch), dextranes or pentoxifylline. In other countries, acute hearing loss therapy by infusion is not performed.
Another possibility of therapy is sometimes sought by means of drainage, as it is assumed that the hearing loss is also causally caused by an oedema (water accumulation) in the inner ear. In this case mannitol+ acetazolamide can be administered over a period of three days. To improve the flow of blood, certain drugs can also be given in tablet form.
To be mentioned here: Gingko extract, blood pressure reducing drugs, such as the calcium antagonist nifedipine. Under the assumption that acute hearing loss is due to an inflammatory event, anti-inflammatory and immune-system modulating substances can also be administered both in tablet form and by infusion. In this case, drugs from the field of steroids (cortisone) are mainly used.
Anti-inflammatory and blood-thinning measures can also be carried out in parallel. If the patient also suffers from tinnitus, a combination with local anesthetics is increasingly used (lidocaine, etc.). Surgical procedures that involve closing the smallest cracks in the oval window are performed in some clinics. In the course of time, it has become apparent that the effectiveness of many therapies for sudden hearing loss, which have been used regularly up to now, is controversial.
