Hearing without hair cells? A case report.
Audiograms from a five year old accident victim with a profound hearing loss are compared to temporal bone and brain stem histological findings. One temporal bone was evaluated using surface preparation and transmission electron microscope techniques. The other temporal bone was evaluated using serial section procedures. No sensory cells were present in either cochlea. This unusual finding is discussed. Evaluation of ventral cochlear nuclei showed a 50 per cent loss of neurons on both sides.
D001309:Auditory Threshold; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000473:pathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003051:Cochlea / Q000473:pathology; D003638:Deafness / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008465:Mechanoreceptors; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009475:Neurons, Afferent; D009925:Organ of Corti / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000473:pathology