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How can I enroll in this study?
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What
is sudden sensorineural hearing loss?
What
is intratympanic steroid therapy? (Flash video)
What
are the entry criteria?
What
if I have limited or no medical insurance?
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Eight
centers around the U.S. initially participated in this clinical
study, and this has been expanded to eight more centers in the U.S. and Canada - check our list of centers for a list of participating clinics
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Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland,
recruited the first patient for the SSNHL trial on Dec 22, 2004.
A total of 254 patients will be enrolled in this five year
study.
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Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
(SSNHL) is a medical emergency
We are hoping to learn more with our SSNHL research study, with 16 centers across the U.S. and Canada recruiting patients right now
Steven D. Rauch, MD, Lead Principal Investigator
Chris Halpin, PhD, Senior Study Audiologist
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard
Medical School, Boston, MA
The gold standard treatment for sudden deafness, if
caught within two weeks of the onset of the symptoms,
is high-dose steroids, taken by mouth.
Evidence now suggests that injection of medication into
the middle ear, using a relatively painless, and quick procedure
in the clinic, is also effective in treating sudden sensorineural
hearing loss without the side effects that can be seen when
taking high-dose steroids by mouth.
Preliminary findings by Dr. Rauch and colleagues support
these observations, and were presented at the 2004 American
Academy of Audiology Meeting.
Download
the 2004 AAA research poster here.
Dr. Rauch and the lead center,
the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and
seven centers nationwide are participating in a 5 year clinical
trial sponsored by the National Institute on Deafness and
Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) - National Institutes
of Health (NIH).
Beginning in December, 2004, this study
will compare high dose oral steroids with intratympanic,
or middle-ear injections of a special formulation of steroid
medication for the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing
loss.
This Sudden Sensorineural
Hearing Loss Multicenter Treatment Trial is the
first prospective, randomized clinical trial to compare
these two different treatment options.
This multimillion dollar NIDCD/NIH
study will provide valuable information to patients,
otologists and otolaryngologists, and referring physicians
about the most appropriate management of this otologic emergency.
More
information about Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Multicenter
Treatment Trial can also be found on the NIH website
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