A case of acupuncture for severe sudden deafness with poor prognosis

IBATA Shintaro, YAMAGUCHI Satoru, KIKUCHI Tomokazu, KOUCHI Ai, HORIBE Go, ITO Akinori

doi:10.3777/jjsam.71.53

[Purpose] We report a case of successful acupuncture for hearing loss associated with severe sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). The patient was diagnosed by an otolaryngologist and was treated with acupuncture one month after symptom onset, resulting in hearing recovery. [Case] A 74-year-old woman presented with left-sided hearing loss and a history of severe right-sided hearing loss secondary to a surgical treatment of right acoustic tumor. She experienced sudden left-sided hearing loss on October 4, XX, and was diagnosed with left-sided SSNHL. An intratympanic steroid injection was attempted but was ineffective. She was diagnosed with grade 4 SSNHL according to a severity classification. SSNHL progressed slowly, and she experienced tension in her neck and shoulders. Physical examination showed unremarkable neurological findings except for bilateral hearing loss. Acupuncture treatment was initiated to improve blood flow to the inner ear. [Results] At her initial visit, the patient's average hearing level (average of 5 frequencies) in the left ear was 91.3 dB, which improved to 82.5 dB one week later. Four months later, her hearing improved to 68.8 dB. Her average hearing level was improved to grade 3 from grade 4 of the disease severity classification for sudden deafness. [Discussion and Conclusions] Acupuncture treatment may improve blood flow to the cochlea and hair cells through the inner ear artery.

A case of acupuncture for severe sudden deafness with poor prognosis

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