Outcomes of unilateral idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: Two decades of experience

Objectives(a) Determine the demographic and medical risk factors for patients who presented with unilateral idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL); (b) identify treatments that patients underwent; (c) evaluate the adequacy of follow‐up and compliance with long‐term hearing rehabilitation.MethodsRetrospective review of patients who presented with unilateral ISSNHL between January 1998 and December 2017 at a tertiary care academic medical center.ResultsTwo hundred‐four patients met inclusion criteria. Of these, 129 (63.2%) did not undergo treatment at an outside hospital prior to our evaluation. In this subgroup, the average pretreatment pure tone average (PTA) was 61.9 ± 2.5 dB (dB). The most common treatment was oral steroids and was recommended in 76 patients (59.9%). Patients also underwent intratympanic (IT) steroid injections (7.2%) or oral steroids followed by salvage IT injections (19.4%). Mean follow‐up duration was 17.9 (±29.2) months, and posttreatment PTA (45.6 ± 2.6 dB) was significantly better than baseline (P < .001). In this cohort, hearing amplification was infrequently recommended. Less than 20% of patients reported active hearing amplification use at their most recent visit. At follow‐up, 90 patients (69.8%) reported subjective improvement in hearing after treatment. Only 55 patients (42.6%) showed improvement in PTA compared to their pretreatment audiograms.ConclusionMany patients with ISSNHL experienced audiometric improvement after treatments, but most had persistent hearing loss. The duration of follow‐up was short. Most patients did not use long‐term hearing amplification. Future studies are needed to identify factors that contribute to reduced follow‐up and low compliance with hearing amplification use in ISSNHL.Level of Evidence2c.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152919/1/lio2331_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152919/2/lio2331.pd

Unilateral cochlear implants for severe, profound, or moderate sloping to profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss : a systematic review and consensus statements

IMPORTANCE Cochlear implants are a treatment option for individuals with severe, profound, or moderate sloping to profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) who receive little or no benefit from hearing aids; however, cochlear implantation in adults is still not routine. OBJECTIVE To develop consensus statements regarding the use of unilateral cochlear implants in adults with severe, profound, or moderate sloping to profound bilateral SNHL. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This study was a modified Delphi consensus process that was informed by a systematic review of the literature and clinical expertise. Searches were conducted in the following databases: (1) MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations and Ovid MEDLINE, (2) Embase, and (3) the Cochrane Library. Consensus statements on cochlear implantation were developed using the evidence identified. This consensus process was relevant for the use of unilateral cochlear implantation in adults with severe, profound, or moderate sloping to profound bilateral SNHL. The literature searches were conducted on July 18, 2018, and the 3-step Delphi consensus method took place over the subsequent 9-month period up to March 30, 2019. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES A Delphi consensus panel of 30 international specialists voted on consensus statements about cochlear implantation, informed by an SR of the literature and clinical expertise. This vote resulted in 20 evidence-based consensus statements that are in line with clinical experience. A modified 3-step Delphi consensus method was used to vote on and refine the consensus statements. This method consisted of 2 rounds of email questionnaires and a face-to-face meeting of panel members at the final round. All consensus statements were reviewed, discussed, and finalized at the face-to-face meeting. RESULTS In total, 6492 articles were identified in the searches of the electronic databases. After removal of duplicate articles, 74 articles fulfilled all of the inclusion criteria and were used to create the 20 evidence-based consensus statements. These 20 consensus statements on the use of unilateral cochlear implantation in adults with SNHL were relevant to the following 7 key areas of interest: level of awareness of cochlear implantation (1 consensus statement); best practice clinical pathway from diagnosis to surgery (3 consensus statements); best practice guidelines for surgery (2 consensus statements); clinical effectiveness of cochlear implantation (4 consensus statements); factors associated with postimplantation outcomes (4 consensus statements); association between hearing loss and depression, cognition, and dementia (5 consensus statements); and cost implications of cochlear implantation (1 consensus statement). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These consensus statements represent the first step toward the development of international guidelines on best practices for cochlear implantation in adults with SNHL. Further research to develop consensus statements for unilateral cochlear implantation in children, bilateral cochlear implantation, combined electric-acoustic stimulation, unilateral cochlear implantation for single-sided deafness, and asymmetrical hearing loss in children and adults may be beneficial for optimizing hearing and quality of life for these patients