Objective: To evaluate the treatment outcome of patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) with concomitant benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).
Method: Out of 252 ISSHL patients, 96 patients were diagnosed with complicating vertigo and examined using electronystagmography. All patients were divided into three groups, namely, ISSHL without vertigo group (n=156), ISSHL with non-BPPV vertigo group (n=70) and ISSHL with BPPV group (n=26). All patients received daily intravenous infusion of 200,000 U urokinase for 3 consecutive days and 100,000 U for 3 additional days. Concomitant medications included intravenous Ginkgo biloba leave compound and vitamin B6 and intramuscular vitamins B1 and B12 for 2 weeks. Twenty-six patients diagnosed with BPPV on electronystagmography positioning test also received canalith repositioning maneuver.
Result: Vertigo-associated symptoms completely resolved after canalith repositioning maneuver in ISSHL patients with complicating BPPV. With respect to post-treatment hearing, ISSHL patients without vertigo exhibited a similar improvement as compared to those with BPPV, while those with non-BPPV vertigo had a significantly less improvement than those without vertigo and with BPPV.
Conclusion: ISSHL patients with complicating BPPV exhibit a relatively favorable outcome with respect to hearing and vertigo-associated symptoms after medical and repositioning treatment.