Diagnostic tests for immunomediated hearing loss: a systematic review

Abstract

AbstractObjective:To quantitatively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of diagnostic tests for immunomediated hearing loss.Data sources:We searched Medline and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for potentially relevant studies.Study selection:Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria of this systematic review. The diagnosis of immunomediated hearing loss was based on the clinical presentation and the response to corticosteroid administration.Data extraction:The following data were extracted from the selected studies and entered into a standardised database: population demographics; exclusion and inclusion criteria; diagnostic tests; sensitivity; specificity; the number of true positive, true negative, false positive and false negative values; therapy used, including dose and duration; and delay between symptom onset and therapy commencement.Data synthesis:This systematic review combined data from 679 patients with immunomediated hearing loss, reported by 22 research teams. Substantial heterogeneity was found among the included studies; for this reason, summary sensitivity and specificity values were not computed.Conclusions:The results of diagnostic tests for immunomediated hearing loss depend on many factors, and there is a risk of potential bias. This is the first time that such a systematic review has been presented; such a review is a more rigorous method of demonstrating the utility of the available diagnostic tests.