Cochlear Function in Ears with Immunomediated Inner Ear Disorder

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Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of ears with inner ear disorder, responsive to immunosuppressive drugs, in advanced tests designed to assess primary cochlear functions (temporal integration, frequency selectivity, cochlear mechanics). The results of this study suggest that immunomediated inner ear disease results, in the acute clinical stage, in the development of endolymphatic hydrops, which increases the stiffness of the vibrating structures within the inner ear and causes dysfunctions of the outer hair cells. Our patients presented with upsloping or flat sensorineural hearing loss, absence of evoked otoacoustic emissions and distortion-product otoacoustic evoked emissions and abnormal temporal integration, frequency selectivity and cochlear mechanics. Following immunosuppressive treatment, hydrops recovered, hearing subsequently returned to normal, the audiometric curve became flat at low-to-middle frequencies and primary cochlear function tended to normalize. This study seems to support the usefulness of testing primary cochlear functions in order to monitor the clinical course of immunomediated inner ear disorders.

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