Otosyphilis is one contributing cause of hearing loss in adult patients. There are limited studies on the treatment regimens of otosyphilis. Penicillin G sodium (PGS) plus additional medications, such as benzathine penicillin and probenecid, is an effective regimen. This study investigated the efficacy of PGS alone for the treatment of otosyphilis. We conducted a retrospective study and included all consecutive patients diagnosed with otosyphilis who received only PGS treatment. The study period was from 2009 to 2013. The PGS treatment regimen was PGS 4 mu intravenously every four hours (24 mu/day) for 14 days. Clinical and audiogram outcomes were evaluated one year after treatment. There were 34 otosyphilis patients that were treated with PGS. After one year of treatment, 18 patients (52.9%) had a clinical improvement and 11 patients (32.4%) had an audiogram improvement. In conclusion, PGS at 24 mu/day for two weeks provided an audiogram improvement one year after treatment in one-third of the patients.
Keywords: Treponema pallidum; audiogram; otosyphilis; outcomes; penicillin; treatment.