Experience in the treatment of sudden deafness during pregnancy

Conclusion. Excluding the possibility of acoustic neuroma, therapeutic benefits from dextran 40 can be anticipated in a pregnant woman with sudden deafness, leading to significant hearing improvement, without detrimental effect on the mother or fetus. Objective. The aim of this study was to present our experience in the treatment of pregnant women with sudden deafness during the past decade. Methods. From January 1994 to December 2003, 12 pregnant women with sudden deafness were consecutively encountered at the authors' clinic. With the exception of one patient with acoustic neuroma who underwent craniotomy, six patients were treated with dextran 40 only, while the other five patients preferred no medication, and served as a control group. Each patient underwent audiometry before treatment and at 1 year postpartum. Results. In the dextran group, five (83%) of six patients had hearing improvement 1 year postpartum, compared with one (20%) of five patients in the control group showing hearing improvement; both groups revealed a significant difference. Those receiving intravenous dextran treatment had significant hearing improvement at the frequencies of 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz, at 1 year postpartum. In contrast, in those who followed a natural course without medication no significant difference existed in the mean hearing level of each frequency, at 1 year after delivery.