Abstract
The relationship between the feeling of ear fullness and audiograms was analyzed in cases of unilateral sudden deafness in 227 ears comprising 47 ears with acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss, and 180 ears with sudden deafness. Changes in the feeling of ear fullness based on a prognosis of hearing were also observed by following the course for up to two months after the fixation of hearing. As a result, the incidence of a feeling of ear fullness at the first medical examination was about 80% for all types of hearing. In addition, no significant difference was observed between the types of hearing, nor way any association with the hearing level found. The rate of concomitant feeling of ear fullness tended to be higher at the first medical examination in cases with a good hearing prognosis. However, the feeling of ear fullness in such cases showed a high rate of disappearance and such a feeling also tended to decrease quickly. The above results suggest that the feeling of ear fullness does not directly reflect the degree of degeneration and destruction of hair cells but it is instead an indirect phenomenon.
