Prognosis of low-tone sudden deafness - does it inevitably progress to Meniere's disease?

CONCLUSION: We conclude that not all low-tone sudden deafness (SD) patients suffered from endolymphatic hydrops even if they had vertigo attack at the onset and that electrocochleography (ECochG) was a useful prognostic tool.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether low-tone SD was a precursor of Meniere's disease and whether patients with low-tone SD suffered from endolymphatic hydrops.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective case review in the university hospital. A total of 184 patients with low-tone SD were divided into two groups with single and recurrent episodes. The progress, follow-up audiograms, and ECochG results of the patients were reviewed and compared with those of patients with high-tone SD and Meniere's disease.

RESULTS: In all, 83 of 177 patients with low-tone SD unaccompanied by vertigo had recurrent hearing loss; 15 of the 83 developed vertiginous attacks. The remaining 94 patients had a single episode. Three of the seven patients with low-tone SD accompanied by vertigo had recurrent hearing loss; two of the three were subsequently confirmed to have Meniere's disease. The other four had a single episode. No difference in rate of progress from SD to Meniere's disease was observed among the low-tone and the high-tone SD groups. The average -SP/AP of each group with a single episode is smaller than that of other groups with recurrent episodes and Meniere's disease.