Role of Platelet-rich Plasma in Sensory Neural Hearing Loss

Abstract

Introduction: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is also known as autologous plasma. Platelets release various growth factors, some of which are recognized to improve nerve growth by contents within the alpha and dense granules. Material and methods: A prospective hospital-based interventional study was carried out at a tertiary care center for a period of 22 months from January 2020 to October 2021. Results: A total of 70 patients were selected according to inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. In our study, 70 patients with sensory neural hearing loss (SNHL) were selected on the basis of pure-tone audiometry (PTA) and intratympanic PRP injections were given in the affected ear. Post-PRP, patients were followed up till 6 months. Among those patients who had hearing loss for less than six months duration, 85.2% recovered completely while in 14.8% partial recovery was observed. Patients with mild SNHL showed complete recovery in 70.8% and partial recovery in 29.2%. Individuals having moderate SNHL showed complete recovery in 25%, partial in 50%, and no recovery in 25% of cases. Patients in the moderately severe deafness category showed complete recovery in 66.7%, partial in 11.1%, and no recovery in 22.2%. However, in patients with severe SNHL complete recovery was seen only in 42.9%, partial in 14.2%, and in as high as 42.9% no recovery was observed. Only partial improvement was observed in 50% while the remaining 50% showed no recovery. In our study, 41.4% of cases complained of transient dizziness after PRP injection while 61.4% reported pain.