Objective To investigate the correlations of serum levels of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), homocysteine (Hcy) and D-dimer (D-D) with inner ear microcirculation disorders in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Methods Eighty-four patients with sudden deafness were selected as subjects. Patients were divided into mild (17 cases), moderate (31 cases) and severe (36 cases) groups based on the degree of hearing loss. According to the types of audiogram maps, they were divided into low-frequency group (22 cases), high-frequency group (33 cases) and full-frequency group (29 cases). Forty-two healthy individuals undergoing physical examination during the same period served as healthy group. The levels of sVCAM-1, Hcy as well as D-D and inner ear microcirculation arterial diameters were compared among different audiogram types and degrees of hearing loss. Pearson correlation analysis and linear regression analysis were employed to verify the correlations between the aforementioned serum indicators and arterial diameters in inner ear microcirculation of affected patients.

Results Compared with the healthy group, the diameters of the internal auditory artery, basilar artery, and anterior inferior cerebellar artery in the inner ear microcirculation were significantly reduced in the low-frequency type, high-frequency type and full-frequency type groups, with the high-frequency and full-frequency types being significantly smaller than the low-frequency type, and the full-frequency type being significantly smaller than the high-frequency type (P < 0.05). Serum levels of sVCAM-1, Hcy and D-D were significantly higher in the low-frequency type, high-frequency type and full-frequency type groups compared with the healthy group, with the full-frequency type being significantly higher than the low-frequency and high-frequency types (P < 0.05). Serum levels of sVCAM-1, Hcy and D-D were significantly higher in the mild, moderate and severe groups compared with the healthy group, with the severe group being significantly higher than the mild and moderate groups (P < 0.05). The diameters of the internal auditory artery, basilar artery and anterior inferior cerebellar artery in the inner ear microcirculation were significantly smaller in the mild, moderate and severe groups compared with the healthy group (P < 0.05). Compared with the mild group, the diameters of the internal auditory artery, basilar artery and anterior inferior cerebellar artery were significantly reduced in the moderate and severe groups, with the severe group being significantly smaller than the moderate group (P < 0.05). Serum levels of sVCAM-1, Hcy and D-D showed negative correlation with the diameters of the internal auditory artery, basilar artery and anterior inferior cerebellar artery (P < 0.05). Arterial diameters of the internal auditory artery, basilar artery and anterior inferior cerebellar artery were independently correlated with serum levels of sVCAM-1, Hcy and D-D (P < 0.05).

Conclusion Serum levels of sVCAM-1, Hcy and D-D are closely related to inner ear microcirculation disorders in patients with sudden deafness. As serum levels of sVCAM-1, Hcy and D-D increase, the severity of hearing loss and inner ear microcirculation disorder intensifies.