Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Adults

Etiology and Management

Voelker, Courtney C.J. M.D., Ph.D.
Chole, Richard A. M.D., Ph.D.

¹Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, ²Developmental Biology, and ³Fay and Carl Simons Center for the Study of the Biology of Hearing and Central Institute for the Deaf, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

Address for correspondence and reprint requests: Richard A. Chole, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8115, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110 (e-mail: [email protected]).

Learning Outcomes: As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to (1) list possible etiologies of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in adults, and (2) list management options for adults with unilateral SNHL.

Seminars in Hearing 31(4):p 313-325, November 2010.

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 Ménière'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.