title: Registering grades of sudden deafness to predict the hearing outcome via an inner-ear test battery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An inner ear test battery comprising audiometry and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP), cervical VEMP (cVEMP), and caloric tests was applied to patients with sudden deafness to map their lesions and predict hearing outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five patients with unilateral sudden deafness underwent an inner-ear test battery. Registering the grades of sudden deafness was based on the number of abnormal test results in the inner ear test battery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After treatment for three consecutive months, mean hearing gain declined significantly from Grade I (one abnormal test) to Grade IV (four abnormal tests). Significant relations existed between hearing outcome and oVEMP test results (p < 0.05), caloric test results (p < 0.05), but not cVEMP test results and pre-treatment mean hearing level. Combined caloric and oVEMP test results demonstrated a stronger predictor with a c statistic of 0.722 than either test alone, indicating that this regression model fits the whole set of observations well and is effective in predicting the hearing outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abnormal caloric and oVEMP test results in sudden deafness patients may indicate poor prognosis for hearing improvement, whereas hearing recovery can be anticipated when both tests reveal normal responses.
authors.affiliation: * Department of Otolaryngology, Catholic Cardinal Tien Hospital, Fu-Jen Catholic University , Taipei , Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tsung-Zoo
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Shou-Jen
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi-Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001299:Audiometry; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D002150:Caloric Tests; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D058585:Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials