Korean J Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2002 Mar;45(3):219-224.

Effects of Carbogen Inhalation and Stellate Ganglion Block in the Treatment of Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

• Kim HS
• Kim MG

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Impairment of inner ear circulation may be one of the pathophysiology of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). Carbogen inhalation therapy, in which patients breathe a gas mixture of 5% CO2 and 95% O2 by mask, and a stellate ganglion block (SGB) are potent vasodilatation and tissue oxygenation procedures widely used as treatment modalities in ISSNHL. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of each modality and to find out the differences in the effectiveness of carbogen inhalation therapy and SGB. MATERIALS AND METHOD: We reviewed the records of 313 patients who were admitted to the Masan Samsung Hospital from January 1995 to December 2000 for investigation of the efficacy of carbogen inhalation therapy and SGB. One hundred and thirty-one patients were treated with carbogen inhalation, SGB and drug medication, and 57 patients without SGB and 125 patients were treated with medication only.
RESULTS
Therapeutic results of carbogen inhalation and SGB group was better than that of medication only group. But no statistical differences were found between the carbogen inhalation and SGB group.
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that carbogen inhalation and SGB were effective treatment modalities of ISSNHL. We recommend that carbogen inhalation therapy and SGB could be utilized as the standard treatment of ISSNHL.

Keyword

Carbogen inhalation; Stellate ganglion block; Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss

MeSH Terms

Ear, Inner
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural*
Humans
Inhalation*
Masks
Oxygen
Respiratory Therapy
Stellate Ganglion*
Vasodilation
Oxygen