Effect of Non-ablative Medical Therapy on Progression of Hearing Loss in Menière's Disease: A Systematic Review and meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objective To systematically review how audiometric data change over time in patients with Menière's disease (MD) undergoing non-ablative medical therapy. Databases Reviewed Medline (via PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science, Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Google Scholar. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature was performed. Adult patients undergoing non-ablative medical therapy and reported duration of disease or follow-up were included and pooled estimates of pure-tone average (PTA) were tabulated. Studies were excluded if they did not use established MD, did not have pure-tone average (PTA) audiometric data, underwent ear surgery or ablative therapies, and were systematic reviews or case reports. Results Out of 198 articles meeting full eligibility, 13 studies, involving 950 patients with MD, were included in the review and further analyzed. No effect on progression of PTA from initial diagnosis was seen between the different medical therapies within 2 years of non-ablative medical treatment. There was a significant worsening of PTA after 2 year, regardless of treatment used. High levels of heterogeneity among studies were noted up to 6 months from diagnosis (I 2 = 79%), likely reflecting differences in patient characteristics, treatment regimens, and study design. Overall, the risk of bias was low for the majority of included studies. Conclusions Patients diagnosed with MD who are undergoing non-ablative medical therapy should be counseled on the likelihood of worsening of hearing loss over the course of the disease despite elected treatment.