Abstract
Psychogenic hearing loss is the best known disease among all known psychogenic diseases in the field of otorhinolaryngology. This condition is considered to be difficult to diagnose at its initial presentation and it is commonly misdiagnosed as other organic diseases. We encountered two cases of psychogenic hearing loss which were misdiagnosed as cochlear otosclerosis and extra lymph fistula. Moreover, we analyzed the findings of 20 cases of psychogenic hearing loss that were detected between 1993 and 1998 in our institution. The subjects consisted of 5 males and 15 females. In 12 cases, hearing loss occurred in the bilateral ears, while in 8 cases, it occurred in one ear. We found that symptoms such as tinnitus or otalgia excluding hearing loss commonly occurred in patients with hearing loss in one ear and that these subjects visited the hospital sooner after onset than other patients. To accurately diagnose psychogenic hearing loss, objective audiometry must be employed. In such cases, the stapedius muscle reflex is very useful because it is a simple noninvasive technique. Psychogenic hearing loss may occur more frequently in the future due to changes in modern society, school and the surrounding environment.
