Anosmia associated with hearing loss and benign positional vertigo after head trauma.
It is well known that head trauma may cause hearing loss, which can be either conductive or sensorineural. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and olfactory dysfunction due to head trauma are also well known. The association between sensorineural hearing loss and anosmia, following head trauma, is extremely rare. Two rare cases of post-traumatic occurrence of hearing loss, olfactory dysfunction and benign positional vertigo are reported and the pathophysiology of the association between sensorineural hearing loss, anosmia and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, after head injury, are briefly discussed. ENT specialists should, in the authors' opinion, be aware of the possible association between anosmia, sensorineural hearing loss and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo after head injury, even in the absence of skull fracture.
Ottaviano
G
G
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani 2, Padua, Italy. giancarlo.ottaviano@unipd.it
Marioni
G
G
Marchese-Ragona
R
R
Trevisan
C P
CP
De Filippis
C
C
Staffieri
A
A
D000328:Adult; D001302:Audiometry, Speech; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014717:Vertigo / Q000209:etiology*