Takeshi Ino

Edaravone, a free radical scavenger, in the treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss with profound hearing loss

OBJECTIVE Edaravone, a free radical scavenger, is a clinical drug that is widely used to reduce neuronal damage after acute cerebral infarction in Japan since 2001. The aim of this study was to investigate whether edaravone could improve treatment result in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) patients with severe hearing loss. METHODS Between 2004 and 2006, 14 patients of ISSHL with the mean hearing levels equal or over 90dB at the initial visit were treated with edaravone. 14 counterpart control patients were selected from 45 patients who had similar prognostic factors and were treated with hyperbaric oxygenation therapy (HBO) in the past decade. RESULTS There were no significant differences between edaravone group and the control group in hearing recovery. CONCLUSION We considered that edaravone was not able to bring remarkable effect compared with conventional treatment regimen for ISSHL.

Self-reported symptoms in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Objective This study evaluated self-reported symptoms in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). Study Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Multicenter clinical investigation in 9 university hospitals. Patients In total, 140 patients with ISSHL and 24 patients with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USHL; control) were included. Main Outcome Measures A questionnaire on symptoms of ISSHL was distributed and the Short-Form Health Survey (Version 2) was used for assessing the quality of life. Results In response to questions on hearing difficulty, many of patients in both groups experienced symptoms. In response to questions on hearing-related discomfort, a significantly higher number of patients with ISSHL experienced symptoms compared with those with USHL. Compared with a high incidence of tinnitus in patients with ISSHL, very low incidence of tinnitus was observed in those with USHL. In the multiple linear regression analysis, hearing-related discomfort was the sole significant factor on the Mental Component Summary scores of the Short-Form Health Survey (Version 2). Conclusion Many patients with ISSHL experience several symptoms such as hearing difficulty, hearing-related discomfort, tinnitus, and anxiety. Hearing-related discomfort strongly affected the quality of life in patients with ISSHL.