A Case of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss due to Intralabyrinthine Hemorrhage

Abstract

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) that is due to intralabyrinthine hemorrhage (ILH) is a rare condition. A 64-year-old female presented with vertigo and a sudden onset of SNHL in the left ear. The audiograms revealed a severe left-sided SNHL. The brain MRI showed a hyperintense signal in the labyrinth on the pre-contrast T1-weighted image. Caloric testing revealed a decreased caloric response of 63% in the left side compared to the right side. The patient was given a course of prednisolone followed by a course of intratympanic dexamethasone injection; this was followed by a course of vestibular rehabilitation therapy. Her hearing substantially recovered from severe to mild SNHL following a combination of oral and intratympanic steroid therapy. We report here on an unusual case of sudden SNHL due to ILH with a review of the related literatures. Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg 2010;53:37-40 Key WordsZZSudden hearing loss·Labyrinth·Hemorrhage·Magnetic resonance imaging.