Abstract
Two patients with sudden progressive profound deafness resulting from Ramsay Hunt's syndrome are reported. Case 1: A 63-year-old woman was admitted to Jichi Medical School Hospital with sudden progressive deafness of the left ear, vertigo, sore throat and hoarseness. She could not take any food and drink for a couple days due to severe odynophagia. An otoscopic examination revealed that the external ear and the tympanic membrane to be normal. Pure-tone audiometry revealed a profound deafness in the left ear. A horizontal nystagmus in the non-affected direction was observed by gaze nystagmus test. An endoscopic examination revealed herpetic vesicles and shallow ulcers in the left side of the pharynx and the larynx. There was a complete paralysis of the left recurrent nerve. Hearing acuity of the left ear did not recover at all by steroid hormone therapy. Case 2: A 75-year-old man was referred to the ENT clinic for hearing evaluation in Hunt's syndrome by dermatologist. The man noticed severe otalgia and sudden progressive deafness of the right ear approximately 2 weeks prior to admission. A physical examination revealed herpetic vesicles and ulcers in the right external ear and lateral neck. A complete paralysis of the right facial nerve was noted. A profound hearing loss was observed in the affected ear by pure-tone audiometry. A gaze nystagmus test revealed a horizontal nystagmus in the non-affected direction. No recovery of the cochlear function was noted by an administration of antiviral drug. The pertinent literature is briefly reviewed.
