Abstract
To evaluate the effect of neuro-otological findings on hearing recovery, the authors studied 327 patients with sudden deafness treated over the past five year period.
Firstly, all patients were classified to four groups (grades 1, 2, 3 and 4) according to the grading system for idiopathic sudden deafness. Vertigo was present in 123 (37.6%) of all 327 patients, in 5 (23.8%) of 21 grade 1 group patients with slight hearing loss, and in 71 (65.4%) of 108 grade 4 group patients with profound hearing loss. Similarly, neuro-otological abnormalities such as nystagmus, canal paresis (CP) in the caloric test, and abnormal vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) were found more frequently in the grade 4 group than in the grade 1 group.
Hearing recovery was better in the grade 1 group (cured or markedly improved in 15 of 21 patients, 71.4%) than in the grade 4 group (cured or markedly improved in 51 of 108 patients, 47.2%). Similarly, hearing recovery was better in patients without vetigo (cured or markedly improved in 138 of 204 patients, 67.6%) than in patients with vertigo (cured or markedly improved in 57 of 123 patients, 46.3%). Patients the with neuro-otological abnormalities above-mentioned also showed poorer hearing recovery than those without abnormalities.
We conclude that vertigo and neuro-otological abnormalities negatively affect hearing recovery of idiopathic sudden deafness.
