title: Hearing preservation in perilymphatic fistula due to a congenital fistula in an adult.
abstract: Congenital fistula in the stapedial footplate usually can be diagnosed by the recurrence of meningitis caused by spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in infants or young children. We report the case of a 65-year-old woman, who was initially diagnosed as having an acquired perilymphatic fistula caused by aural barotrauma and demonstrated episodic vertigo and fluctuant sensorineural hearing loss in the right ear after air travel. Surgical exploration showed a congenital circular defect in the peripheral part of the stapedial footplate with leakage of CSF. The fistula was closed by inserting a tiny piece of fascia attached to both the tympanic and perilymphatic side of the stapedial footplate utilizing the back-pressure of perilymphatic fluid and fibrin glue; hearing was preserved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Miyazaki Medical College, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, 889-1692, Miyazaki, Japan. kimituki@fc.miyazaki-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kimitsuki
authors.forename: Yukiyo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Shizuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komune
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D001469:Barotrauma / Q000150:complications; D003052:Cochlear Aqueduct; D005260:Female; D005402:Fistula / Q000150:complications / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007759:Labyrinth Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D013199:Stapes / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013201:Stapes Surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome