2004 Volume 107 Issue 3 Pages 195-198
We herein report the histopathological findings of the temporal bone taken from a patient with unilateral profound deafness since early childhood. The patient was a 72-year-old male who died of lung cancer and extensive metastases including the tongue. The patient had a history of profound hearing loss in his left ear since childhood.
The histopathlogical finding of the left temporal bone revealed a severe atrophy of the organ of Corti, a detached and rolled-up tectorial membrane, a moderate loss of the stria vascularis, and a severe loss of spiral ganglion cells. In addition, the macula of the saccule was severely degenerated. The marked degeneration in the inner ear indicated a cochleosaccular disorder, which is a typical temporal bone finding in cases of viral labyrinthitis and hereditary hearing impairment The present patient was suspected to have suffered cochleosaccular degeneration as a result of an inner ear viral infection during childhood because the number of spiral ganglion cells was significantly reduced because of secon-
dary neural degeneration.
