title: Reversible sensorineural hearing impairment induced by a carotid body tumor.
abstract: A case of a 62-year-old Austrian man having a 25-year history of a right-sided carotid body tumor (CBT) is presented. Three months before being transferred to the University of Vienna for tumor resection the patient developed symptoms of tinnitus, progressive ipsilateral hearing loss and dysphagia. Pure-tone audiometry demonstrated a 50 dB right sensorineural hearing loss. A 6 x 6 x 4 cm firm, pulsatile mass was found in the right carotid triangle and extending towards the base of the skull. One week after radical tumor resection all preoperative symptoms disappeared and hearing of the right ear recovered. Review of the available literature showed that hearing loss and tinnitus are unusual symptoms of a CBT. Our findings suggest that routine audiometric evaluations in such cases of CBT patients should be obtained in order to determine the real incidence of audiological disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Temmel
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Kierner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muhm
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gstoettner
mesh_terms: D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D002345:Carotid Body Tumor / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010235:Paraganglioma / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome