Steroid treatment of hearing loss in enlarged vestibular aqueduct anomaly

Objective: 1. Determine whether corticosteroid therapy improves hearing thresholds of patients with enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) anomaly. 2. Determine sample size for a future prospective study. Methods: Retrospective chart review hearing loss in EVA patients comparing patients treated with corticosteroids and untreated patients. Results: Eighty percent (n = 5) of patients treated with steroids for hearing loss demonstrated audiometric improvement, compared to 14.3% of patients (n = 7) not treated. The pure tone average improved by 17.7 dB in the steroid treated group. A prospective, placebo-controlled trial would need between 19 and 45 patients in each group, treatment versus no-treatment, to achieve statistical significance. Conclusion: Patients with EVA who develop hearing loss have a high rate of hearing improvement when treated with corticosteroid therapy. The hearing improvement appears to be better than spontaneous recovery. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.