[Unilateral neurosensory hearing loss as a manifestation of multiple sclerosis]

Sensorineural hearing loss is an uncommon symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). We report a patient with confirmed MS in which sudden unilateral hearing loss was the main manifestation of an episode. Auditory findings, including the auditory-evoked brainstem potentials, suggested impairment of the distal tract of the right VIII cranial nerve. Clinical and electrophysiological abnormalities disappeared with steroid therapy. Acute inflammatory demyelinative lesions of the peripheral cochlear nerve may cause acute hearing loss in MS.