Abstract
A 44-year-old woman noted sudden onset of hearing loss and tinnitus in the left ear after sneezing. This was followed several hours later by acute vertigo. Neurotological examination revealed left sided complete loss of hearing and positional nystagmus with clockwise rotatory components, when in the left lateral position. A left tympanotomy was performed after 11 days. At surgery, perilymph was found to derive from the round window in which there was a large fistula. The fistulous area was grafted with fatty tissue.
After two months, the hearing in the left ear was essentially unchanged. ENG revealed no positional and spontaneous nystagmus and the vertigo gradually disappeared.
In labyrinthine membrane rupture, surgical treatment is considered to be effective in alleviating vertigo, though hearing impairment remains unchanged.
