Audiological Outcomes in Cervical Spine Pathologies

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential effects of loss of cervical lordosis (LCL) and cervical disc pathologies (CDPs) on the auditory system and to identify the predominant anatomical sites of these effects using both objective and subjective audiological assessments. Subjects and.

This prospective controlled study included 98 individuals: 57 patients diagnosed with CDP via cervical spinal magnetic resonance imaging and 41 individuals without such a diagnosis. Of the participants, 68 (69.4%) were female, and 30 (30.6%) were male. CDP was assessed based on the presence and level of bulging or protrusion. Cervical lateral radiographs revealed LCL in 65 patients, while 33 showed no such loss. The mean age of participants was 41.0±6.9 years (range: 21-52 years). All participants underwent audiological evaluation, including assessment of hearing thresholds and the presence of tinnitus.

The mean speech frequency and high-frequency hearing thresholds, measured by pure-tone audiometry, were significantly higher in the 57 patients with CDP than in the 41 control participants (p=0.04 and p=0.02, respectively). However, no statistically significant differences were observed in speech frequencies, high-frequency hearing thresholds, and otoacoustic emission measurements, as assessed by pure-tone audiometry, between the 65 patients with LCL and the 33 control participants without LCL (p=0.22, p=0.18, p=0.51, respectively). Upon evaluating the groups for the presence and severity of tinnitus, no differences in LCL or CDP were observed (p=0.81 and p=0.95, respectively).

Our findings indicate that patients with CDPs exhibit elevated hearing thresholds. Given the limited number of studies addressing inner ear function in common conditions such as cervical disc herniation and LCL, this study contributes to the literature by emphasizing the importance of auditory assessments in these patients.