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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Published on: January 25, 2016
Vestibular and balance function is often impaired in children with profound unilateral sensorineural hearing loss
Meirav Sokolov1, Karen A Gordon2, Melissa Polonenko3
1Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON Canada; Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada; Archie's Cochlear Implant Laboratory, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON Canada.
Rationale:
Children with unilateral deafness could have concurrent vestibular dysfunction which would be associated with balance deficits and potentially impair overall development. The prevalence of vestibular and balance deficits remains to be defined in these children.
Methods:
Twenty children with unilateral deafness underwent comprehensive vestibular and balance evaluation.
Results:
Retrospective review revealed that more than half of the cohort demonstrated some abnormality of the vestibular end organs (otoliths and horizontal canal), with the prevalence of end organ specific dysfunction ranging from 17 to 48% depending on organ tested and method used. In most children, impairment occurred only on the deaf side. Children with unilateral deafness also displayed significantly poorer balance function than their normal hearing peers.
Conclusions:
The prevalence of vestibular dysfunction in children with unilateral deafness is high and similar to that of children with bilateral deafness. Vestibular and balance evaluation should be routine and the functional impact of combined vestibulo-cochlear sensory deficits considered.
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