Treatment of Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is based on 100% oxygen respiration within a chamber at a pressure several times higher than atmospheric pressure. Its immediate result is an increase in partial oxygen pressure (PaO2) and a logarithmic increase in plasma oxygen. This allows for greater cell exchange by capillarity and simple gradient oxygen diffusion, even in areas compromised by ischaemic, toxic or metabolic hypoxia, to which conventional drugs do not have access. At the same time, hyperoxia promotes an exuberant formation of physiological antioxidants that counteract the possible occurrence of toxic effects [1].