Auditory disorder in central nervous system miliary tuberculosis: case report

We evaluated a 28-year-old female with a unilateral hearing loss of unusual pathogenesis, that of central nervous system miliary tuberculosis. Audiologic and otologic findings were consistent with left retrocochlear disorder, characterized by a profound hearing sensitivity loss, absent acoustic reflexes, normal otoacoustic emissions, and the presence of only wave I of the auditory brainstem response. Imaging studies revealed the presence of multiple punctate lesions, one of which was extra-axial and located at the left cerebellopontine angle. The pattern of audiometric test results, particularly the combination of normal otoacoustic emissions and profound hearing sensitivity loss, contributed importantly to the investigative sequence leading to the final diagnosis.