Abstract
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is a disease that is developed within several hours to several days, but its etiology is not verified yet. Therefore, no specific regimen is available for the treatment of this disease. The purpose of this study is to seek the therapeutic effect of the corticosteroid on the sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients through many variables known as prognostic factors. The author also tried to find a relationship between the hearing recovery patterns and the prognostic factors that were not established yet. Materials and Method：Clinical analysis was performed in 173 patients with sudden hearing loss admitted in Chonnam National University Hospital from January 1996 to July 2001. Results：Recovery was seen in 104 cases out of 173 cases, with the total recovery rate of 60.1%. Patients who had been treated within a week after the symptoms had a better recovery rate than those treated after a week (p$\leq\alpha$0.05). The recovery rate was better for the moderate-severe, and severe hearing loss (p$\leq\alpha$0.05). Patients of all audiograms except the profound one had a better recovery rate (p$\leq\alpha$0.05). Among the patients who had been treated within a week, the dizzy patients had the lower recovery rate than the non-dizzy patients (p$\leq\alpha$0.05). Other factors such as age and sex, tinnitus and ear fullness as accompanying symptoms, the site of disease, and the presence of underlying disease were not related with prognosis. Conclusion：The recovery rate was better in patients who had been treated within a week, and for those whose hearing was moderate-severe and severe, and their audiogram upsloping, V-shape, flat, and downsloping, and who were not dizzy. (Korean J Otolaryngol 2002;45:656-61)