Title:  Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) Multicenter Treatment Trial

Principal Investigator:  Daniel J. Lee, MD

Sponsor:  National Institute of Health

Purpose of Research

The goal of this research is to compare the effectiveness of two different therapies using two different routes (oral (by mouth), or injections into the middle ear) for patients with sudden deafness.  The two drugs being studied, oral prednisone and injectable methylprednisolone (IT steroids), are both well-known anti-inflammatory steroids. 

The current standard of care is prompt treatment using oral prednisone, which can often improve the hearing, but few patients make a full recovery.

Small clinical studies have suggested that delivering medicine directly into the ear rather than orally is equally effective and could have potential advantages such as avoiding oral steroid side effects.  Injecting steroids into the ear has been gaining popularity in clinical practice but has not been studied scientifically to see if it is truly safe and effective.  Small clinical studies have shown that the injected steroids are safe and may be beneficial.  Thus, for this study, the injection therapy must be considered experimental.