Sudden Deafness in Relapsing Polychondritis: A Scanning Electron Microscopy Study

Abstract
The left ear of a 57 yr old female who suffered sudden deafness during the course of relapsing polychondritis was examined under a scanning EM. Marked degeneration of the organ of Corti in all turns with a dislocated and encapsulated tectorial membrane were found in the cochlea. A marked decrease in number of the sensory cells in the utricular and saccular maculae and a total loss of sensory hair bundles in the ampullary cristae of the semicircular canals were seen in the vestibule. The cause of sudden deafness in this case might be viral. The usefulness of scanning EM in human temporal bone pathology is stressed.

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