Hearing Status of Opposite Ear in Patients with Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
2004 Volume 47 Issue 2 Pages 92-100
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2004 Volume 47 Issue 2 Pages 92-100
We studied the status of the opposite ear in a group of 309 patients experiencing sudden deafness (Grade 3: 194 cases, Grade 4: 115 cases). The ratio of cases with hearing levels worse than ordinary aging aggravation was significantly higher in Grade 4 cases than in Grade 3.
Patients were divided into four groups by Grades 3 or 4 with/without vertigo. We studied the relationship between hearing recovery and opposite ear hearing status by multiple regression analysis to regulate the following four prognostic factors: age, pattern of initial audiogram, initial hearing level, and opposite ear hearing levels. We found that only in the Grade 4 group with vertigo, opposite ear hearing levels significantly impacted on hearing recovery. Our study confirmed that when opposite ear hearing levels became worse, hearing recovery improved-quite the opposite of what we had anticipated.
