Sensorineural hearing loss in acute and chronic middle ear diseases

Clinical studies of SNHL in various acute and chronic middle ear diseases are reviewed. Reported incidences of SNHL in acute otitis and secretory otitis are compared with those found in our epidemiological studies. We conclude that the overall incidence of SNHL is small. In chronic otitis, the incidence varies according to the pathology. A systematic study of 67 patients operated on for adhesive otitis, with a mean follow-up of 11 years, showed SNHL exceeding 10 dB for one of the frequencies tested in 76% of the patients. Problems involved in the study of SNHL in clinical series are discussed.