Progressive hearing loss in hearing impaired children: immediate results of antiphlogistic-rheologic infusion therapy

Objective: The question whether progressive sensorineural hearing loss duri ng childhood is the fateful course of a main illness has been discussed con troversially over 60 years. No medicamentous therapy with satisfactory resu lts has been described in the literature. The goal of this study was to det ermine whether an infusion therapy, developed for the treatment of sudden h earing loss in the elderly, can induce recovery after progression in sensor ineural hearing loss during childhood. Methods: Out of 20 children sufferin g from acute progression in sensorineural hearing loss, seven children were treated with an infusion therapy containing prednisolone, pentoxifylline a nd a plasma expander (group I), and 13 children were not treated (group II) . All children were advised not to use hearing aids for 6 weeks. Results: I n group I, we observed partial to complete restoration of hearing threshold towards the original hearing threshold given by previous routine controls in 6/7 children. In group II, only three children recovered, with the state of ten children's' hearing loss remaining unchanged. The long-term follow- up, however, showed no distinct difference in either group. Conclusion: Inf usion therapy can be helpful when treating acutely progressing sensorineura l hearing loss during childhood. The benefit for communicative competence h as to be discussed. Further studies should be conducted. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.