title: [Sudden deafness today--a review].
abstract: Sudden deafness is not a disease in itself. Unilateral impairment of inner ear function of acute onset is a symptom of unknown origin. Recent results of basic science and clinical research favour an alteration of physiological properties and/or a variety of different diseases as a cause of this inner ear dysfunction. It is important to recognise these factors by audiometric and clinical investigations in order to differentiate the resulting inner ear dysfunction from sudden deafness. Our task is to find the cause in almost every case of hearing impairment so that the term "sudden deafness--of unknown cause" can be abandoned. So far we prefer a conservative treatment. Indicators of unfavourable prognosis should be assessed carefully since they demand special treatment, for instance tympanotomy.
mesh_terms: D003051:Cochlea / Q000098:blood supply; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012212:Rheology
vernacular_title: Hörsturz heute--eine Ubersicht.