Evaluation and comparison of the efficacy of long-acting betamethasone and dexamethasone as injections in the treatment of idiopathic sudden hearing loss

Introduction & objective: The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy of long-acting betamethasone, and its comparison with Dexamethasone as an intratympanic injection in the treatment of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL).Materials and methods: Thirty-one patients who do not respond to systemic steroids and poor prognosis patients were enrolled in this study. The patients divided randomly into two groups: 1- Dexamethasone and 2- Long acting betamethasone. Dexamethasone (0.4 ml/mg) or long-acting betamethasone (0.1 ml/mg) was slowly injected (0.4 to 0.6 cc) into the superior-anterior area of the tympanic membrane as 6 injections twice a week for a total of 3 weeks. Right after the treatment and one, two and six months after completion of treatment, an audiometry was performed and compared with the pre-injection values.Results: Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) showed improvements in both groups immediately after treatment and in the follow-up period, compared to baseline. Speech Discrimination Score (SDS) also improved in both groups directly after treatment and at one-month follow-up. The hearing improvement in the Dexamethasone group was clinically better than in the Beta group, but due to the non-parametric data, it was not possible to analyze the hearing improvement process in the variable group.Conclusion: According to the results obtained in this study, intratympanic corticosteroid injection in the treatment of patients with SSNHL has positive and promising results on improving hearing level.