Oral steroid treatment for hearing improvement in Ménière's disease and endolymphatic hydrops.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of oral steroid treatment on hearing in unilateral Ménière's disease and endolymphatic hydrops patients.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review.

SETTING: Tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS: All patients presenting during the 2010 calendar year with confirmed unilateral Ménière's disease or endolymphatic hydrops. Those with a first visit and second visit audiogram (n = 58) were included in the analysis of oral steroid treatment effect.

INTERVENTION: Steroid treatment for hearing loss.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Change in hearing, as defined by change in affected ear threshold values or speech discrimination score from pretreatment visit to posttreatment visit.

RESULTS: Hearing (threshold, speech discrimination score) in patients' affected ear did not significantly change from first visit to second visit after treatment with steroids relative to patients who did not receive steroid treatment.

CONCLUSION: The results of this and other studies would indicate that a Ménière's disease or endolymphatic hydrops patient is unlikely to experience an improvement in hearing from a short course of oral steroid. Clinically observed temporary improvement did not sustain over several months. Further work to elucidate the mechanisms underlying hearing loss in hydrops, perhaps focusing on the dendrite damage noted in animal models of hydrops, is warranted.