[Sudden deafness]

Sudden deafness is a real clinical entity. Very important advances have been achieved these last years in cochlear physiology and afford a better knowledge of the mechanisms of deafness but not the causal agent. Two major pathogenic hypotheses are formulated: viral agent and vascular cause. Two peaks of prevalence in relation with age are described: one between 30 and 40 and the second between 55 and 60. Sudden deafness is a sensorineural emergency. The treatment primarily aims at the restitution of hearing by minimizing the period of cellular ischaemia.