title: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss with fracture of the stapes footplate following sneezing and parturition.
abstract: Three rare cases of sudden high frequency sensorineural hearing loss with longitudinal fracture of the stapes footplate are presented. In two patients it occurred after they suppressed a sneeze. In the third patient after the exertion of parturition. At exploratory tympanotomy all were found to have longitudinal fractures of the stapes footplate and two had a perilymph fistula at that site. The history and audiometric profiles in such patients should raise a high index of suspicion regarding the possibility of a stapes footplate fracture.
authors.affiliation: Hull Royal Infirmary, East Yorkshire, UK.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Whitehead
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D005260:Female; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012912:Sneezing; D013199:Stapes / Q000293:injuries*; D013201:Stapes Surgery / Q000379:methods*