Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T21:31:04.488Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Case of bilateral pneumolabyrinth presenting as sudden, bilateral deafness, without temporal bone fracture, after a fall

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2012

E J Lee ,
Y S Yang  and
Y J Yoon
E J Lee*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Jeon-ju, South Korea
Y S Yang
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Jeon-ju, South Korea
Y J Yoon
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Jeon-ju, South Korea
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Eun Jung Lee, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Kumam-dong, Dukjin-gu, Jeonju, South Korea Fax: +82 63 250 1986 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

We report a case of bilateral pneumolabyrinth presenting as sudden, bilateral deafness, without temporal bone fracture, after a fall.

Case report:

A 49-year-old man presented with sudden, bilateral deafness and whirling vertigo, without any other neurological manifestations. Temporal bone computed tomography clearly demonstrated the presence of air in the vestibule and cochlea on both sides. However, there was no definite fracture line, ossicular chain anomaly or soft tissue density in the temporal bone or middle-ear cavity. The patient was treated conservatively. Unfortunately, there was no improvement in his hearing.

Conclusion:

Pneumolabyrinth is an uncommon condition in which air is present in the vestibule or cochlea. It is rarely found, even with fractures violating the otic capsule or with transverse fractures of the temporal bone. In addition, its bilateral occurrence is extremely rare. In this article, we describe a case of bilateral pneumolabyrinth presenting as sudden, bilateral deafness, without temporal bone fracture, an occurrence which has not previously been reported.

Keywords

Hearing Loss, SuddenVertigoTraumaTemporal BonePneumolabyrinth
Type
Clinical Records
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 126 , Issue 7 , July 2012 , pp. 717 - 720
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Gross, M, Ben-Yaakov, A, Goldfarb, A, Eliashar, R.Pneumolabyrinth: an unusual finding in a temporal bone fracture. Int J Pediatr Otolaryngol 2003;67:553–5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2Lyos, AT, Marsh, MA, Jenkins, HA, Coker, NJ.Progressive hearing loss after transverse temporal bone fracture. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1995;121:795–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3Brodie, HA. Management of temporal bone trauma. In: Cummings, CW, Flint, PW, Harker, LA, Haughey, BH, Robbins, KT, Schuller, DE, et al. , eds. Cumming's Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 4th edn.Pennsylvania: Elsevier Mosby, 2005;28–48Google Scholar
4Woodson, EA, Smith, RJ.Bilateral pneumolabyrinth diagnostic for otic capsule fractures without high-resolution imaging. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2007;137:969–71CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5Woo, HJ, Song, SY, Kim, YD, Bai, CH.Pneumolabyrinth without temporal bone fracture: different outcomes for hearing recovery. Laryngoscope 2008;118:1464–6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Mafee, MF, Valvassori, GE, Kumar, A, Yannias, DA, Marcus, RE.Pneumolabyrinth: a new radiologic sign for fracture of stapes footplate. Am J Otol 1984;5:374–5Google ScholarPubMed
7Issacson, JE, Laine, F, Williams, GH.Pneumolabyrinth as a computed tomographic finding in poststapedectomy vertigo. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1995;104:974–6Google Scholar
8Hempel, JM, Jäger, L, Baumann, U, Krause, E, Rasp, G.Labyrinth dysfunction 8 months after cochlear implantation: a case report. Otol Neurotol 2004;25:727–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed