Intratympanic Steroid Therapy as a Salvage Treatment for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Fernandez et al. (2026) completed a retrospective analysis of 86 patients seen between 2019 and 2024 with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). This analysis compared audiometric pure tone thresholds at baseline (pre-treatment), after systemic corticosteroid use, and three months post final medical intervention. These researchers categorized final outcomes as complete recovery (less than 10 dBHL PTA asymmetry between poorer ear and better ear or pre-loss thresholds), partial recovery (greater than 10 dBHL PTA improvement, but poorer ear more than 10 dBHL worse than better ear), and no recovery (less than 10 dBHL PTA improvement). This study found an average PTA improvement of 5.6 dBHL across patients with oral corticosteroid use and a subsequent 1.76 dBHL improvement with the use of transtympanic steroid injections. Of note, improvement with oral steroids was considered statistically significant, while injections were not. Overall, 27.9 percent of patients should partial recovery, while 72.1 percent showed no improvement. At final follow-up, 9.3 percent achieved complete recovery, 29.1 percent showed partial recovery, and 61.6 percent showed no recovery. According to these researchers and this study, initial treatment via oral steroids showed the most dramatic improvement in hearing thresholds, while salvage transtympanic steroid injections did not show a statistically significant benefit.

Reference

Gonzalez Fernandez, A., Del Carmen Zapata, M., Ruiz de Erenchun Lasa, I. et al (2026). Intratympanic steroid therapy as a salvage treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss after the unsuccessful therapy with systemic steroids. Our experience in 86 patients. Egypt J Otolaryngol 42, 42 (2026).