Contralateral deafness post head injury without temporal bone fractures.
We report an unusual case of contralateral deafness in a 31-year-old man after an uncomplicated blunt force head injury. The patient was presented with a left-sided head injury and complained of profound deafness in his right ear, dysequilibrium, and vertigo. Pure tone audiogram revealed total sensorineural deafness in the right ear. A high-definition computed tomography scan demonstrated no radiological evidence of bony injuries or a fistula. His dysequilibrium had improved 2 months later, but his vertigo and hearing loss persisted. We will discuss several possible mechanisms of injury that may result in deafness after head injury without bony fractures. The literature has been reviewed. Although deafness is not an uncommon complication of head injuries, its presentation in the contralateral ear in the absence of temporal bone fractures following head injury has not been reported before in the medical literature.
Toh
Alex
A
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Manor Hospital NHS Trust, Walsall, UK. alextoh@doctors.org.uk
Ho
Eu Chin
EC
Turner
Nick
N
D000328:Adult; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D014717:Vertigo / Q000209:etiology