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Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Published on: January 25, 2016
Hearing loss progression and contralateral involvement in children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss
Trina C Uwiera1, Alessandro DeAlarcon, Jareen Meinzen-Derr
1Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Alberta, College of Medicine and Dentistry, Edmonton, Canada.
Insights
Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in children can progress to the other ear. This study found that some children with unilateral hearing loss developed new hearing loss in the contralateral ear.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric audiology
- Otolaryngology
- Genetics
Background:
- Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is diagnosed when hearing loss occurs in only one ear.
- The progression and contralateral involvement of SNHL in children without enlarged vestibular aqueduct are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the rate of hearing loss progression in the affected ear of children with unilateral SNHL without an enlarged vestibular aqueduct.
- To determine the rate of new-onset hearing loss in the contralateral ear.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of a pediatric tertiary care center database.
- Inclusion criteria: children with unilateral SNHL without enlarged vestibular aqueduct.
- Data collected: demographic variables, audiometric data, presumptive causes, and temporal bone imaging.
Main Results:
- 198 patients identified; slight left-sided and male predominance.
- Of 142 patients with follow-up, 21% showed ipsilateral progression and 10.6% developed contralateral hearing loss.
- Temporal bone anomalies were found in 13% of patients, associated with a higher likelihood of profound hearing loss.
Conclusions:
- Unilateral SNHL may represent an early stage of bilateral auditory dysfunction.
- Contralateral ear involvement necessitates careful monitoring and audiological follow-up.
Objectives:
We undertook this study to determine the rate of hearing loss progression in the affected ear of children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss and without an enlarged vestibular aqueduct, and the rate of new-onset hearing loss in the contralateral ear.
Methods:
We searched the database at our pediatric tertiary care center to identify patients who met the inclusion criteria, examining demographic variables, audiometric data, and presumptive causes.
Results:
We identified 198 patients. At presentation, they showed slight left-sided and male predominances. Of 142 patients who had sufficient audiometric follow-up for us to evaluate progression, 21% showed ipsilateral progression and 10.6% developed new-onset hearing loss in the contralateral ear. Isolated high-frequency loss was identified in 11 patients (5.6%), 8 of whom had sufficient follow-up for us to identify progression. Two showed progression; 4 others with progression in the ipsilateral ear developed new-onset high-frequency loss in the contralateral ear. Temporal bone anomalies were identified in 26 children (13%), and these children were more likely to have profound hearing loss than were those without temporal bone anomalies (46% versus 23%).
Conclusions:
The findings suggest that unilateral sensorineural hearing loss may not always be a unilateral process, but that it may be the initial manifestation of bilateral auditory dysfunction.
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