Efficacy of endoscopic single-session corticosteroid delivery via round window membrane for severe to complete sudden deafness salvage: a prospective cohort study

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) often necessitates salvage therapy when unresponsive to systemic corticosteroids. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: We introduce a novel endoscopic-assisted surgical approach for precise, single-session inner ear drug delivery via the round window membrane to treat refractory SSNHL. MATERIAL AND

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For audiologists managing sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) patients who fail systemic and intratympanic steroids, this prospective cohort suggests endoscopic single-session round window membrane steroid delivery is a potential salvage option — but the absence of a control group means effect size estimates are preliminary; referral pathways to ENT/otologists for this technique should be on the clinician's radar.

Salvage therapy for severe-to-complete SSNHL non-responders remains a critical unmet need, and a minimally invasive, single-session endoscopic approach could expand the treatment window if validated in controlled trials.

1. 01Targets patients with severe-to-complete sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) who failed systemic steroids.
2. 02Novel delivery route: endoscopic single-session corticosteroid application directly via the round window membrane.
3. 03Prospective cohort design — no control group, so causal inference is limited.
4. 04Published in Acta Oto-Laryngologica (2026); doi: 10.1080/00016489.2026.2757448.
5. 05If effective, this could become a referral indication from audiologists to otologists for refractory SSNHL.

PMID

42985769

DOI

10.1080/00016489.2026.2757448.

Journal

Acta Oto-Laryngologica

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

2b

Population

Patients with severe-to-complete sudden sensorineural hearing loss unresponsive to systemic corticosteroids

Intervention

Endoscopic single-session corticosteroid delivery via the round window membrane