Cochlear Contrecoup Fracture: A Rare Cause of Sudden Hearing Loss

Authors: Santiago M*, Indiana D, Jorge V and Daniel T

DOI: 10.23880/ooaj-16000240

Volume 7, Issue 2

Abstract

The temporal bone is the thickest bone in the body and requires a high energy impact to fracture. It contains important structures which can be damaged during impact and cause different types of important complications such as sensorineural hearing loss, facial palsy and vertigo. Sensorineural hearing loss is one of the most relevant lesions when a head trauma occurs. This usually occurs on the ipsilateral side of the lesion. Rarely, it can occur on the contralateral side. A contrecoup injury is defined as an injury that occurs opposite from the side of the blunt. It can happen because of a phenomenon called labyrinthine concussion, described as sensorineural hearing loss with or without labyrinthine symptoms following a head injury without involvement of the otic capsule. We report a case of an uncommon presentation of profound hearing loss due to contrecoup injury with bilateral fracture. In this case, the cochlear implant is considered as an option to improve the patient's quality of life.

Keywords: Temporal Bone Fracture; Hearing Loss; Inner Ear Concussion; Labyrinthine Concussion; Contrecoup Injury

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