HBOT & Audiology

Conditions Benefited

Idiopathic sudden deafness
Tinnitus
Acoustic trauma or noise induced hearing loss
Barotrauma
Bone involvement in ENT Area (Osteomyelitus)
Retrocochlear hearing loss
Meniere’s Disease
Otitis externa maligna
Vertigo

How can YOUR patient benefit?

Reduces swelling, inflammation and pain
Greatly increases the partial of oxygen in the inner ear
Angiogenesis created after oxygen saturation
Improves hemorheology and contributes to improved microcirculation
Lowers hemocrit and whole blood viscosity, and improves erythrocyte elasticity

Literature survey:

Some controlled trials concerning 1100 patients in 8 publications were performed, a majority of which were in Germany. After ineffective conservative treatment including plasmaexpander such as Hydroxyaethylstarch or others, normovolaemic haemodilution, cortisone and oral haemo-rheological substances, HBOT is effective in 50% of the cases to reduce hearing loss by 20 dB or more. Approximately 11% have a complete recovery. All authors confirm better results with earlier onset of HBOT.

A randomized prospective trial of primary HBOT versus primary conservative treatment in Germany shows a better outcome in the HBOT group with substantial recovery in 80% of the patients. Another controlled prospective trial including patients after ineffective conservative treatment including cortisone shows substantial improvement in more than 30% of the cases even if the delay was more than 3 months.

Evaluations of 7766 patients in 13 publications show reduction of molestation and intensity of Tinnitus by 50% in around 70% of the cases if treated within 3 months of the onset. Around 30% lose their Tinnitus completely. Chronic tinnitus with duration of more than 3 months or bilateral manifestation shows improvement rates of 50% and around 30% of the cases after ineffective conservative treatment.

Based on 1200 cases of acoustic trauma – partially evaluated in prospective studies Pilgramm states that the best results by HBOT in combination with Haes. Because of 50% spontaneous remission within the first 48 hours HBOT should start immediately the third day after trauma. If hyperbaric oxygenation is begun later, the effectiveness decreases rapidly.

A prospective controlled study was performed in 1996 : Out of 625 patients treated for tinnitus for a 2 month period 211 were included in the study for acute tinnitus.

69 patients were treated with haemodilution and cortisone alone and had no HBOT. 142 patients had HBOT, 72 of these after unsuccessful haemodilution

Results of Haemodilution for Tinnitus

69 Cases 36.2% healed completely 63.8% unchanged (25% decompensation)

Results of HBOT for Tinnitus

142 Cases 64.1% completely healed 35.9% unchanged (18% decompensation)

Results of secondary HBOT for Tinnitus

72 cases 51.4% completely healed 37.5% improved 11.1 unchanged 0% worsened