Seven years after head trauma
Uncle Liu’s inner ear structure disappeared!
What’s going on here?
He became deaf after a “cold”
Uncle Liu (pseudonym), who is in his 60s, suffered head trauma 7 years ago, and then his hearing in his left ear gradually decreased. Because of the good hearing in the right ear, Uncle Liu didn’t take it seriously.
8 months ago, after a “little cold”, Uncle Liu suffered from headache and vomiting, and hearing loss in his right ear. After he went to the neurology department of the local hospital, he was diagnosed with “viral meningitis and sensorineural hearing loss in the right ear”. Despite active treatment, his hearing in his right ear has not recovered, and he can only wear a hearing aid to barely cope with daily communication.
Because he often can’t hear clearly, Uncle Liu has become grumpy and often scolds his family. The quality of sleep at night is also affected, and he is not in good spirits during the day. He has been depressed and depressed for the past three months.
Uncle Liu’s daughter, after consulting experts online at Internet Hospital, hopes to help her father improve his hearing by implanting a cochlear implant in his left ear and wearing a hearing aid in his right ear.
The inner ear structure of the left ear disappeared unexpectedly
Not long ago, Uncle Liu, accompanied by his daughter, went to the Otolaryngology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University for a consultation, preparing for a cochlear implant. Doctors arranged for him to undergo CT and MR examinations of his hearing and ears, and found that he suffered from “profound sensorineural hearing loss” in both ears.
What makes the doctor puzzled is that, after comparing the results of the imaging examination in the past, the inner ear structures such as the vestibule, cochlea, and semicircular canal of Uncle Liu’s left ear have disappeared!
By Zhongshan First Hospital The cochlear implant team conducted a multidisciplinary consultation and evaluation. Due to the disappearance of the cochlear structure, Uncle Liu’s left ear was no longer suitable for cochlear implantation. At the same time, considering that the right cochlear ossification is prone to occur after meningitis, in order to save Uncle Liu’s hearing, experts recommend that a right ear cochlear implant be implanted as soon as possible.
After full communication with his family, Uncle Liu was hospitalized for a cochlear implant in his right ear. He was soon recovered and discharged from the hospital. He turned on the phone one month after the operation, and his hearing in his right ear recovered. He finally recovered. Back to the world of sound.
Heart trauma can easily lead to deafness
According to the introduction of Chief Physician Wu Xuan, Department of Ear Specialist of Zhongshan First Hospital, Head trauma can lead to deafness in two ways: one is inner ear concussion, and the other is temporal bone fracture involving the vestibule, cochlea, semicircular canals and other inner ear structures, both of which can lead to deafness after inner ear hair cell necrosis.
“Uncle Liu’s inner ear structure disappears after head trauma, which is rare in clinical practice,” Wu Xuan explained. There are pathological phenomena of fibrosis and ossification.
Wu Xuan reminded that after head trauma, if you have hearing loss, you need to be alert to the ossification of the inner ear structure, and you should go to an ear specialist as soon as possible to receive related hearing tests such as pure tone test, acoustic impedance, and ear Imaging tests such as CT or MR. Head trauma combined with hearing loss, after the otological condition is stabilized, it is recommended to go to the ear specialist clinic for re-examination every 6 to 12 months.
Wu Xuan reminds that deafness occurs after viral or bacterial meningitis, and the inflammation of the meninges can pass through the subarachnoid space and the cochlear aqueduct to continuously stimulate the cochlea tympani, and the cochlea will gradually ossify. The time is generally six months after the disease. Once cochlear ossification occurs, it will not only increase the difficulty of cochlear implantation surgery, but also bring uncertainty to the hearing recovery of patients after surgery. Therefore, for deafness caused by meningitis, it is recommended to perform cochlear implantation as soon as possible to improve hearing.
Source: Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Editor: Huang Ziwei