Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Adults: Etiology and Management

Abstract

Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) affects people at any age, can present as an acute and/or progressive process, and can range from mild to profound. Although the great majority of cases have an unknown cause, the known causes of unilateral SNHL need to be excluded including neoplasms, stroke, demyelinating and autoimmune diseases, infection, perilymphatic fistula, and Meniere's disease. The majority of individuals with idiopathic sudden SNHL will recover complete or partial hearing. However, there is a small subset of patients who remain with unilateral hearing impairment, which can result in communication difficulties. The goal of this article is to present the etiology and medical management of unilateral SNHL in the adult population.