THE EFFECT OF STELLATE GANGLION BLOCK ON DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC SUDDEN HEARING LOSS

Y. Jeon | Department of Anesthesiology, Kyungpook National University, Daegy, South Korea

Background and Aims. Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is useful to treat idiopathic sudden hearing loss (ISHL) by enhancing cochlear perfusion. Recently, SGB has been reported to improve depression in post-traumatic stress disorder. But it remains unclear whether SGB can decrease depression in patients with ISHL.
Methods. In this retrospective observational study, 35 patients with ISHL were included. Dexamethasone 10 mg was injected once daily for 5 days, followed by 5 mg once daily for an additional 5 days. Patients received SGB every other day for 10 days. SGB was performed 2 hours before dexamethasone treatment. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) before (baseline) and 1 day and 30 days after treatment. Pure-tone audiometry (PTA) was evaluated before and 30 days after treatment.
Results. PTA improved at 30 days after treatment (47.9 ± 27.7), compared to baseline (68.0 ± 23.2) (P < 0.001). The BDI significantly decreased at 1 day (5.5±8.0) and 30 days (4.5±7.4) after treatment, compared to baseline (9.1±8.2) (P<0.0001). The GAD-7 decreased at 1 day (2.3 ± 3.0) and 30 days (1.9 ± 2.6) after treatment, compared to baseline (4.7 ± 3.6) (P < 0.0001). However, improvement in PTA is not correlated with improvements in BDI or GAD-7.
Conclusions. SGB significantly decreases depressive symptoms in patients with ISHL, which is not correlated with the degree of hearing recovery. These findings suggest that SGB provides a beneficial effect for mood improvement in this population.