Sensori-neural hearing loss following radiotherapy to the nasopharynx

A retrospective study was done to ascertain the risks of cochlear damage from radiotherapy of the nasopharynx. Audiometric evaluation, pre and post-radiotherapy, revealed that 7 out 13 patients had sustained sensori-neural deafness. Contrary to what is generally believed of the resistance of the cochlea to radiotherapeutic damage, eventual loss of hearing can occasionally be expected in patients undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck tumors.