Acupuncture As an Early Treatment for Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (ISSNHL) Patients with Flat or High-Frequency Drop Audiograms: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is a common form of deafness. Acupuncture has been used as a salvage therapy for ISSNHL in China since 200 BCE. However, the efficacy of acupuncture has not been confirmed in strictly controlled trials. We designed a randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and long-term effects of acupuncture in patients with early ISSNHL.