INTRODUCTION: The use of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, such as sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil, and taladafil, which indicated for erectile dysfunction or clinical conditions, such as pulmonary hypertension, has increased, even in children and young men. Some of these patients develop sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). OBJECTIVE: To analyze 4 cases with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) after using phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors and to review all studies on the use of phosphodiesterase types 5 inhibitors and its association with SSHL. Material and Methods: An analytical study was conducted on patients with SSHL about the use of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, and all studies on this subject were reviewed systematically. This review was conducted using the databases, such as PubMed/Medline and Bireme, by entering keywords, such as sudden deafness, hearing loss, sildenafil, phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, and related words in Portuguese. Results: Using keywords, the search yielded 9 scientific studies. The first study on phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors was conducted in the year. Preclinical studies and prospective cross-sectional studies were also found. CONCLUSION: This topic has garnered more interest due to higher occurrence of cases and reports in clinical otorhinolaryngology. Therefore, further studies with larger samples need to be carried out to ascertain the exact effect of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors on auditory functions.
