Electrocochleographic study of patients with cerebral vascular lesions

Electrocochleographies were performed on three patients with deafness resulting from cerebral vascular lesions. Recording was made by the transtympanic needle electrode technique. In a patient who had anterior-inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm that showed fluctuating hearing loss, auditory nerve action potential (AP), cochlear microphonics (CM), and summating potential fluctuate in amplitude in concert with episodes of ischemic hearing loss. This indicates the pathophysiology of reversible impairment of the cochlear nerve and of sensory epithelium of the inner ear caused by disturbance of blood flow into the inner ear. It was also conjectured that the cochlea is hardly impaired in the case with normal AP and CM responses despite the increased threshold in pure-tone audiometry and that the cochlea undergoes irreversible organic changes in the patient who has no AP or CM response in tests after a long period.