Abstract
Several viral infections of the inner ear with clinical manifestations similar to those of sudden deafness have been known to occur for many years.
Such inner ear infections include those of mumps, varicella-zoster and measles viruses.
The author describes his thinking that such infections particularly those of mumps and measles maydevelop via hematogenic routes or viremia rather than cerebrospinal fluid routes that have been assumed to occur.
Routes of varicella-zoster virus into the inner ear are proposed not necessarily the same with those of mumps and measles viruses, where rather latent infections or infection through the cranial nerves e. g.facial nerve should be taken into consideration.
