[Cochleo-vestibular lesions and prognosis in patients with profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a comparative...

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of cochleo-vestibular dysfunction in patients with profound sudden deafness, and the prognosis of inner ear hemorrhage. Methods: From January 2017 to December 2018, 92 inpatients with profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss were enrolled in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. Our studied patients included 47 males and 45 females, aged 20-78 (39.3±6.1) years. According to the results of inner ear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the patients were divided into two groups: inner ear hemorrhage group and non-inner ear hemorrhage group. The clinical features, vestibular tests and audiological examination results during follow up were compared between the two groups. SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: The inner ear hemorrhage group consisted of 32 cases (34.8%, 32/92), all of whom complained of vertigo (100%, 32/32). Simultaneous vertigo attack and hearing loss occurred in 78.1% of this group (24/32). Neither semicircular canals function, nor cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (c-VEMP), nor ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (o-VEMP) in the affected side was normal (100%, 32/32). The rates of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and disequilibrium were 37.5% (12/32) and 25.0% (8/32) respectively. Hearing improved in 28.1% (9/32) two weeks after treatment, and became stable at one month's follow up. In 60 cases without inner ear hemorrhage, 58.3% of them (35/60) experienced vertigo, which occurred simultaneously with hearing loss in 21 patients (60%, 21/35). The abnormal rates of semicircular canals function, c-VEMP and o-VEMP were 71.6% (43/60), 78.3% (47/60) and 66.7% (40/60), respectively. The incidence of BPPV was 16.7% (10/60) and 8.3% (5/60) in cases with disequilibrium. Hearing improved in 58.3% (35/60) two week after treatment, and became stable at three months' follow up. Significant difference was found in either vertigo rate, or simultaneous vertigo/hearing loss rate, or abnormal c-VEMP/o-VEMP rates, or accompanying BPPV, or disequilibrium rates between the two groups (P<0.05 each). Moreover, we observed better hearing recovery in non-inner ear hemorrhage group in the two weeks, one month, three months and six months' follow up, when compared with those in inner ear hemorrhage groups (P<0.05 each). Conclusions: Inner ear hemorrhage is associated with more severe cochlea-vestibular lesion and poorer prognosis, in comparison to the non-inner ear hemorrhage,in patients with profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss.