Hearing symptoms in migrainous infarction

Hyung Lee1, Gregory T Whitman, Jeong Geung Lim

  • 1Department of Neurology, Keimyung University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.

Archives of Neurology
|January 21, 2003
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Migrainous infarction can present with acute auditory symptoms like sudden hearing loss. These symptoms may be an early sign of stroke in migraine patients, warranting consideration in differential diagnoses.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Otolaryngology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Migraine headaches have been anecdotally linked to hearing disturbances.
  • Auditory symptoms in migrainous infarction have been underemphasized in prior literature.

Observation:

  • Two cases of migrainous infarction presenting with acute auditory symptoms are described.
  • Patients experienced sudden hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and neurological deficits.

Findings:

  • Audiograms revealed sensorineural hearing loss, which significantly improved in one patient.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed infarcts in the pons and cerebellum in one case.

Implications:

  • Acute auditory symptoms may serve as a prodrome for migrainous infarction.
  • Migraine-associated vasospasm is a potential mechanism for these symptoms.
  • Consider migrainous infarction in the differential diagnosis of acute auditory symptoms, including sudden bilateral hearing loss.

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