Abstract
Objective To compare the measured bone conduction threshold at 3 kHz with the calculated threshold in newly diagnosed sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted of pure tone audiograms in confirmed sudden sensorineural hearing loss cases. Results Of 157 patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss, 144 had idiopathic hearing loss, 8 had vestibular schwannoma and 5 had Ménière's disease. The r value for the correlation between the two methods of 3 kHz assessment for all patients was 0.887 (p < 0.001). The mean difference between the measured and calculated 3 kHz thresholds was 0.76 ± 7.96 dB, 0.4 ± 8.08 dB and 1.5 ± 1.8 dB in the sudden sensorineural hearing loss, idiopathic and Ménière's disease groups, respectively. The mean difference between the measured and calculated 3 kHz thresholds was significantly greater in the vestibular schwannoma group (6.86 ± 4.38 dB) than in the idiopathic group (p = 0.013). Conclusion The 3 kHz frequency may encompass important audiometric information. A discrepancy between the measured and calculated bone conduction 3 kHz thresholds raises suspicion of an underlying vestibular schwannoma as an aetiology for sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and these thresholds should therefore be measured independently and routinely.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 820-824 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Laryngology and Otology |
Volume | 135 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2021 |
Keywords
- Audiometry
- Bone Conduction
- Meniere Disease
- Sensorineural Hearing Loss
- Vestibular Schwannoma