Bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss in patient with Behçet disease

Abstract

Bacckground: Approximately 80% to 85% of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is idiopathic, but immune-mediated mechanisms are thought to be involved. Behçet disease is an autoinflammatory vasculitis that may involve vessels of the inner ear. It can cause sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and an increased risk of SSNHL. Study Sample: We report a 21-year-old man who was diagnosed with Behçet disease in childhood and presented to our clinic with a 10-day history of abrupt hearing deterioration in both ears. Pure-tone audiometry showed severe to profound bilateral SNHL. Results: Oral prednisolone was prescribed for 3 weeks. Concurrent intratympanic steroid injections (ITSIs) were administered in each ear every 2 days for 5 days. A total of 15 daily sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) were completed. Acupuncture was performed every 2 days for 1 month. After these combined therapies, the patient’s hearing threshold by 20 dB and his speech recognition threshold were improved. Conclusions: Some patients with SSNHL recover no hearing improvement after routine treatment, and alternative treatments including ITSI, HBOT, and acupuncture can be considered as optional. We used an aggressive multimodal approach to treat severe bilateral SSNHL in patient with Behçet disease.