Analysis of clinical parameters as predictors of hearing recovery in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of certain clinical parameters on likelihood of hearing recovery after SSNHL and to detect potential variables that predict its outcome. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in order to identify the clinical parameters which influence hearing recovery after SSNHL. Medical charts of 87 patients diagnosed with SSNHL and treated in the clinic from January 2015 to December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The effects of several parameters on the success of the treatment were statistically evaluated. Such parameters studied were age, gender, the severity of hearing loss, audiometric curve pattern, the time treatment was initiated, and metabolic factors. RESULTS: Patient categorization according to tonal audiometric curve results statistically differed in terms of recovery (complete, partial, no recovery) (χ(2) = 32.5; p < 0.001). There are 2× more diabetic patients in the group no recovery than in the group partial recovery (OR = 3.1; 95% CI 0.95‒10; p = 0.061), and 5.3× more than in the group complete recovery (OR = 10.4; 95% CI 2.3‒45; p = 0.002) (χ(2) = 11.2; p = 0.004). There is a statistically significant correlation between onset of therapy and recovery on a scale of significance of 93% (χ(2) = 5.3, p = 0.069). CONCLUSION: In our study tonal audiometry results, diabetes mellitus and onset of therapy were shown to be a statistically significant negative predictive factors for recovery. Results of pure tone audiometry suggest a flat profound curve is statistically associated with the no recovery rates, and a down sloping curve proved to be statistically associated with complete recovery rates. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 1.