[Acute diseases of the inner ear--are cardiovascular treatment strategies lacking?]

The underlying cause of acute functional disorders of the inner ear (sudden hearing loss) is usually not detectable with clinical diagnostic measures. It is assumed that functional disorders of the inner ear are merely symptoms and not a disease entity in itself. In particular regional perfusion disturbances, but also autoimmune phenomena, viral infections and micromechanical disorders of the cochlea are seen as pathogenetic principles in inner ear disturbances. Although numerous effective therapeutic options and prophylactic measures for such diseases as myocardial infarction and stroke are available to cardiovascular medicine, they have so far not been applied to the treatment of inner ear problems. Here there is a promising and wide field of options for such diseases that can be traced back to regional perfusion disorders.