[Psychogenic deafness - a rare problem in the differential diagnosis of the sudden deafness (author's transl)]

The sudden deafness is in our days a well known clinical picture, which incidence seems to augment. Already in 1950 Fowler described the frequent coincidence of psychosomatic disturbances with the sudden deafness. On these conditions a psychogenic deafness can be taken in some cases for a sudden deafness, if there is not carried out at least one simulation test. An additional hint at an "hysteric" deafness could be the otalgia, which we found in patients. The unilateral hearing disturbance is not a reliable sign against the psychogenic deafness as could be demonstrated in our cases as well as in a case of Hallberg (1956).