The otoprotective effect of ear cryotherapy: Results of a pilot study

Hearing loss is still a major problem with very limited therapeutic options. Cooling of the ears is highly otoprotective in several in vivo studies. To determine whether ear cooling is feasible in humans, we conducted a pilot study with 10 healthy, normal hearing probands. In the first experiment, we investigated the feasibility of long-term ear cooling. objective measures were the ear drum temperature and transient evoked acoustic emissions. In the second experiment, we asked if the body position alters the subjective vertigo sensation. We found that a moderate 30° C tempered ear cooling reduced the ear drum temperature by 2.31±1.2 K. The colder irrigation with 24° C tempered water reduced it by 5.01±3.04 K. The total TEOAE power was reduced by 2.13 dB SPL. We found that simultaneous bilateral stimulation at 30° C was well tolerable. In comparison 24° C cooling leads to more vertigo and dizziness. In the second experiment, we found that the supine body position, supine with head 30° elevated and upright position did not alleviate the subjective dizziness sensation. Thus, the strict bilateral simultaneous cooling was much more critical in reducing uncomfortable sensations. Our results indicate that bilateral ear cooling is feasible and tolerable. Our data further suggest that ear cooling might transmit to the cochlea, highlighting the potential for further studies investigating ear cooling, cryotherapy and otoprotection in humans.

Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2023