Successful Hearing Recovery after Stellate Ganglion Block in a Patient Who Failed to Respond to Systematic and Intratympanic Steroid Injection: A New Approach to Salvage Therapy for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

• Published in: International journal of pain Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 99 - 102
• Main Authors: Kim, Jiyoung, Seo, Jae-Hyun, Kim, Chang Jae, Ro, Hojun, Kim, Lib, Lee, Hyunjoon, Park, Hue Jung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 대한통증연구학회 31.12.2022
• Subjects: 마취과학
• ISSN: 2233-4793; 2233-4807
• DOI: 10.56718/ijp.22-007

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a common otolaryngologic emergency. In natural history of SSNHL, spontaneous resolutions have been reported in 32-65% in previous studies. However, hearing loss as a sequelae may remain for some patients, which is devastating. Therefore, when first-line therapy fails to SSNHL patients, necessity of salvage therapy could be emphasized. 36-year-old woman presented to our clinic. The patient has not responded to oral and intratympanic steroid therapy. Her initial audiogram revealed the patient is experiencing sensorineural hearing loss. We performed stellate ganglion block (SGB) under ultrasound. After two sessions of SGB, the patient experienced subjective recovery of SSNHL and recovery of audiogram. SGB could be attempted to the refractory SSNHL patients who failed to recover spontaneously or responded by primary therapy such as intratympanic or systemic steroids. KCI Citation Count: 1