Nimodipine and Steroid Combination Therapy for Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the treatment outcomes of nimodipine and steroid combination therapy for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). STUDY DESIGN Retrospective case review. SETTING Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Seventy-eight patients who were diagnosed with ISSNHL were divided into two group based on the treatment strategies used: steroid+nimodipine (SN, n = 36) and steroid only (SO, n = 42) groups. Based on the level of hearing loss before treatment, subgroup analysis (<90 dB HL, SN-S versus SO-S groups; ≥90 dB HL, SN-P versus SO-P groups) was performed. INTERVENTIONS Nimodipine+dexamethasone versus dexamethasone alone. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Hearing thresholds and complete/partial recovery rate after treatment. RESULTS Hearing thresholds after treatment were not significantly different between the SN and SO groups (46.8 ± 29.4 versus 54.8 ± 27.6 dB HL, p = 0.218). However, the complete recovery rate was significantly higher in the SN group than in the SO group (41.7% versus 16.8%, p = 0.014). In subgroup analysis, the complete recovery rate was significantly higher in the SN-S group than in the SO-S group (60.9% versus 19.2%, p = 0.003), whereas the difference between the SN-P and SO-P groups was not significant (7.7% versus 12.5%, p = 0.672). The cumulative incidence of complete recovery was significantly higher in SN-S group than in the SO-S group (p = 0.005); the mean recovery time was 4.4 weeks (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8-6.1) in the SN-S group and 8.8 weeks (95% CI, 7.0-10.5) in the SO-S group. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that nimodipine and steroid combination therapy for ISSNHL results in a higher complete recovery rate than steroid alone in patients with moderate to severe hearing loss.