[Late sequelae following laterobasal fractures, therapeutic and forensic viewpoints]

Report on two cases of temporal bone fracture with unilateral profound deafness and vestibular dysfunction. The other ear was apparently not involved. After 4, respectively 18 years, a sudden hearing loss occurred in the second ear, fluctuating and associated with acute vestibular symptoms. On operation we found in the first case a perilymph fistula in the round window, in the second case a gaping fracture in the promontory. A retrospective study of 527 cases of "sudden hearing loss" revealed 11 more cases with similar histories that must be regarded as sequelae of the head trauma. The latency between trauma and onset of hearing loss in the second ear ranged from 4 to 33 years. Discussion of the pathomechanism of the trauma, therapeutic and medico-legal issues.