Delayed recovery of pediatric sudden sensorineural hearing loss treated with acupuncture: A case report

RATIONALE: The rate of spontaneous recovery of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) has been reported to be as high as 32% to 65%. Although the majority of spontaneous recoveries occur within 2 weeks, treatment of refractory SSNHL failing conventional therapy is difficult. In particular, it is more difficult to treat children—who have a worse prognosis than adults—with SSNHL refractory to conventional therapy. No studies reported delayed recovery of pediatric SSNHL later than 3 months after onset, or delayed recovery treated with acupuncture. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 15-year-old girl experienced hearing loss after acquiring a cold. DIAGNOSIS: She did not undergo audiometry and only took medicine for a common cold after diagnosis by an internal medicine doctor. Ninety-three days after onset, she visited an otorhinolaryngology clinic and was diagnosed with SSNHL. Seven rounds of intratympanic steroid (ITS) treatment were performed 93 to 135 days after onset; audiogram at 149 days did not demonstrate improvement. INTERVENTIONS: Two-hundred sixty-six days after onset, she visited to TKM hospital and was admitted for 21 days and received outpatient treatment for 1 month after discharge. She was treated acupuncture, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and moxibustion. OUTCOMES: She experienced improvement in experienced improvement in pure tone average, speech recognition threshold, and word recognition scores after acupuncture treatment. Delayed ITS treatment at 93 to 135 days after onset did not improve the patient's hearing loss. However, slight recovery was achieved at the conclusion of treatment. Lessons: Acupuncture may be a therapeutic option for individuals who do not experience improvement after the use of steroids or miss early treatment.