Introduction. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is a leading problem in modern audiology. In some cases, it becomes a low-frequency fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss (LFFSHL), which can further disturb the vestibulocochlear analyzer if the cause is not clarified and without proper treatment at its onset.
Case report. A 16-year-old girl was diagnosed with LFFSHL without apparent signs of vestibular damage. After corticosteroid treatment, normal hearing was established in 3–4 days. Over the next three months, such episodes repeated three times. The clinical examination has established a endolymphatic hydrops of the anterior part of the labyrinth. The asymmetry of vestibular excitability revealed signs of hidden vestibular disorders.
Conclusions. When sensorineural low-frequency hearing loss (SLHL) is determined by audiogram, especially if it quickly becomes FSLHL, the following diagnostic approach is recommended: computed tomography (CT) of temporal bones (to rule out possible anatomical causes of hearing loss as vestibular aqueduct widening, jugular bulb high location, congenital or post-traumatic perilymphatic fistula, superior semicircular canal dehiscence, and others), electrocochleography with a detailed vestibulometric study, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 1.5 T or 3 T with contrast if signs of endolymphatic hydrops are detected by electrocochleography.
Keywords: fluctuating sensorineural low-frequency hearing loss, endolymphatic hydrops, electrocochleography, inner ear tomography.
Full text sources https://doi.org/10.31688/ABMU.2025.60.1.17
How to cite
Email to Author
Address for correspondence:
Ilona SREBNIAK
Address: 3, Zoologichna street, State Institution “O.S. Kolomiychenko” Institute of Otolaryngology of National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, 03057 Kyiv, Ukraine
Email: isribnyak@hotmail.com, Phone +38044 483 64 57; +38050 581 19 25
