Hearing symptoms in migrainous infarction.
BACKGROUND
In case reports, migraine headaches have been associated with fluctuating low-frequency hearing loss and sudden, unilateral hearing loss. Auditory symptoms associated with migrainous infarction have not previously been emphasized.


OBJECTIVE
To describe migrainous infarction presenting with acute auditory symptoms.


METHODS
Case reports.


METHODS
Tertiary care hospitals.


METHODS
A 40-year-old man with a history of migraine suddenly developed bilateral hearing loss associated with severe, throbbing, occipital headache, tinnitus, vertigo, speech disturbance, and right hemiparesis. An early audiogram showed profound, down-sloping, sensorineural-type hearing loss bilaterally. Sixteen days later, a follow-up pure tone audiogram documented marked improvement in both sides to a pure tone average of 30 dB. Right hemiparesis and dysarthria also improved steadily for 2 months. A 25-year-old woman with a history of migraine with aura suddenly developed hyperacusis, unilateral hearing loss, and migraine headache early in migrainous infarction. Magnetic resonance imaging documented infarcts in the pons and cerebellum.


CONCLUSIONS
In these patients, acute auditory symptoms are a part of the prodrome of migrainous infarction. We speculate that these symptoms may have resulted from migraine-associated vasospasm. Migrainous infarction should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute auditory symptoms, including sudden, bilateral hearing loss.
Lee
Hyung
H
Department of Neurology, Keimyung University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
Whitman
Gregory T
GT
Lim
Jeong Geung
JG
Yi
Sang Doe
SD
Cho
Yong Won
YW
Ying
Sarah
S
Baloh
Robert W
RW
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000209:etiology*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D020127:Recovery of Function