The Round Window in Acute Hearing Loss

Abstract

Sensorineural hearing loss has various etiologies. One of them is perilymphatic fistula, which is observed in (1) congenital malformation of the internal ear in children:(2) after operations on the oval window (stapedectomy, interposition);(3) in cases of head trauma, and(4) in acute hearing loss of unknown origin. The authors report 5 of 19 cases of acute hearing loss observed at the ORL Clinic in Krakó and operated on by exploratory tympanostomy. In 4 of them, repture of the round window membrane (secondary tympanic membrane) was found. A hypothesis for the repture mechanism is presented.

Key Words:

• Perilymphatic fistula
• Deafness
• Cochlear aqueduct
• Tympanotomy