Association of the prognosis and severity of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss with cervical ultrasonographic findings

Takahiro Nakata; Masahiro Okada; Takahiro Hanari; Taro Takagi; Takashi Fujiwara; Naohito Hato

doi:10.1016/j.anl.2021.03.004

Association of the prognosis and severity of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss with cervical ultrasonographic findings

Auris Nasus Larynx. 2021 Dec;48(6):1074-1080. doi: 10.1016/j.anl.2021.03.004. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

Authors

Takahiro Nakata¹, Masahiro Okada², Takahiro Hanari¹, Taro Takagi¹, Takashi Fujiwara³, Naohito Hato¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon Ehime 791-0295, Japan.
² Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon Ehime 791-0295, Japan. Electronic address: okadama@m.ehime-u.ac.jp.
³ Department of Public Health Research, Kurashiki Clinical Research Institute, Kurashiki, Japan.

PMID: 33745790
DOI: 10.1016/j.anl.2021.03.004

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the prognosis and severity of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) with cervical ultrasonographic findings suggestive of cardiovascular risk.

Methods: Seventy-four inpatients with ISSNHL were included in our study. Cervical ultrasonography was performed to evaluate the common carotid artery (CCA), internal carotid artery (ICA), and vertebral artery (VA). The peak systolic velocity, end diastolic velocity, intima-media thickness, pulsatility index (PI), and resistance index (RI) were evaluated. We investigated the relationship of these variables with the severity and prognosis of ISSNHL.

Results: ICA-PI, ICA-RI, and CCA-RI were significantly higher in patients with poor hearing prognosis than in those with good prognosis. The variables of VA were not related to the prognosis of ISSNHL. There were no statistically significant differences between ISSNHL severity and cervical ultrasonographic findings.

Conclusions: We found that PI and RI might be prognostic factors for ISSNHL.

Keywords: Hearing prognosis; Pulsatility index; Resistance index; Sudden deafness.

MeSH terms

Carotid Arteries / diagnostic imaging
Carotid Arteries / physiopathology*
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness
Female
Hearing Loss, Sudden / diagnostic imaging*
Hearing Loss, Sudden / physiopathology
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Prognosis
Pulsatile Flow*
Severity of Illness Index
Ultrasonography*
Vascular Resistance*
Vertebral Artery / diagnostic imaging
Vertebral Artery / physiopathology*