Vestibular schwannoma presenting as sudden deafness

In this study, we analysed the clinical and audiological features of 24 vestibular schwannoma patients presenting with sudden deafness who visited our hospital within 10 days after its onset. The relationships between the prognosis of hearing loss and the clinical and audiological features including the pure-tone average (PTA), the presence of dizziness and/or vertigo, the tumour size and the auditory brain stem response (ABR) findings were evaluated. Hearing recovery depended on the PTA and tumour size, but even a small tumour induced sudden deafness. Impaired hearing completely recovered in five our of 24 patients. ABR findings indicated that the aetiology of sudden deafness in the vestibular schwannowa patients might vary in each patient.