Vol.96 No.6 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 96 No.6 June 2003
A Case of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
with Fracture of the Stapes Footplate
Tessei kuruma, Meiho nakayama, Men-dar Wu and Shigeru Inahuku
(Aichi Medical University)
Isao Takimoto
(Japan Collage of Rehabilitation and Welfare Professionals)
Due to varying symptoms, a perilymphatic fistula may be easily misdiagnosed as another inner ear disorder, such as sudden sensorineural hearing loss. We report a case of perilymphatic fistula with a long delay of diagnosis.
A 69-year-old female complaining of left tinnitus and aural fullness was diagnosed with and treated at two different hospitals for sudden sensorineural hearing loss before presenting at our clinic two months after the onset of symptom. Her left audiogram showed scale out and she had not responded to any chemotherapeutic treatment at either of the two hospitals.
Strongly suspecting a perilymphatic fistula, an exploratory tympanotomy was ordered, during which a fracture of the left stapes footplate was found with a perilymphatic fluid leak. The fracture was repaired with a cover of connective tissue with fibrin glue.
As perilymphatic fistulas are difficult to diagnose, an exploratory tympanotomy is mandated in cases where patients complain of gradual progressive hearing deterioration with fluctuation.
Key words : sensorineural hearing loss, perilymphatic fistula, exploratory tympanotomy