The Clinical Value of Periventricular White Matter Hyperintensity on MRI in Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Neuroimaging Characteristics of Hearing Loss in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between standard pure tone and speech audiometry with neuroimaging characteristics reflective of aging and dementia in older adults.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective population-based study.

SETTING

Single tertiary care referral center.

METHODS

Participants from the Mayo Clinic Study of aging 60 years old or older with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment, baseline neuroimaging, and a behavioral audiogram associated with neuroimaging were eligible for study. Imaging modalities included structural MRI (sMRI) and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MRI (FLAIR-MRI; N = 605), diffusion tensor imaging MRI (DTI-MRI; N = 444), and fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET; N = 413). Multivariable logistic and linear regression models were used to evaluate associations with neuroimaging outcomes.

RESULTS

Mean (SD) pure tone average (PTA) was 33 (15) dB HL and mean (SD) word recognition score (WRS) was 91% (14). There were no significant associations between audiometric performance and cortical thinning assessed by sMRI. Each 10-dB increase in PTA was associated with increased likelihood of abnormal white-matter hyperintensity (WMH) from FLAIR-MRI (odds ratio 1.26, P = .02). From DTI-MRI, participants with <100% WRSs had significantly lower fractional anisotropy in the genu of the corpus callosum (parameter estimate [PE] -0.012, P = .008) compared to those with perfect WRSs. From FDG-PET, each 10% decrease in WRSs was associated with decreased uptake in the anterior cingulate cortex (PE -0.013, P = .001).

CONCLUSION

Poorer audiometric performance was not significantly associated with cortical thinning but was associated with white matter damage relevant to cerebrovascular disease (increased abnormal WMH, decreased corpus callosum diffusion). These neuroimaging results suggest a pathophysiologic link between hearing loss and cerebrovascular disease.

Update on Findings about Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Insight into Its Pathogenesis

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is routinely encountered and is one of the most common emergent diseases in otolaryngology clinics. However, the etiology of SSNHL remains unclear. Due to the inaccessibility of the living human inner ear for biopsy, studies investigating the etiology of SSNHL have been performed by analyzing data obtained from examinations using peripheral blood or imaging. We updated the findings obtained from serological, magnetic resonance imaging, genetic, and viral examinations to reveal the etiology of SSNHL. Regarding viral examination, we focused on sensorineural hearing loss associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) because the number of correlated reports has been increasing after the outbreak. The updated findings revealed the following three possible mechanisms underlying the development of SSNHL: thrombosis and resulting vascular obstruction in the cochlea, asymptomatic viral infection and resulting damage to the cochlea, and cochlear inflammation and resulting damage to the cochlea. Thrombosis and viral infection are predominant, and cochlear inflammation can be secondarily induced through viral infection or even thrombosis. The findings about sensorineural hearing loss associated with COVID-19 supported the possibility that asymptomatic viral infection is one of the etiologies of SSNHL, and the virus can infect inner ear tissues and directly damage them.

Diagnostic value and prognostic significance of MRI findings in sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Purpose

Materials and Methods

Results

Conclusion

Lay Summary

Level of Evidence

Clinical features and prognosis of severe-to-profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss

PURPOSE

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is an otologic emergency. Despite multiple efforts to clarify the factors affecting the prognosis of severe-to-profound SSNHL, various studies showed inconsistent results and lack of clinical significance. Therefore, we examined the clinical features and outcomes of severe-to-profound SSNHL.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We included patients who experienced SSNHL between 2018 and 2021 and were diagnosed according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery criteria; hearing loss over 70 dB on initial pure tone audiometry (PTA) was used to define severe-to-profound SSNHL. We retrospectively examine the demographic, laboratory, radiologic, and audiometric data of SSNHL patients. We also evaluated the final hearing gain of these patients by assessing their PTA findings and word-recognition scores.

RESULTS

Of the 178 patients, 94 (52.81%) and 84 (47.19%) showed profound (>90 dB) and severe (>70 to 90 dB) hearing loss, respectively. The presence of vertigo and hypertension differed significantly between the severe and profound groups (p < 0.001 and p = 0.012, respectively), as did the initial serum creatinine level (p = 0.043). Recovery in PTA showed a reliable correlation with the interval between onset and treatment in the severe group and periventricular white-matter findings in the profound group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively). The presence of hypertension was related to recovery of low tone (p = 0.023 for 250 Hz; p = 0.034 for 500 Hz), while glycated hemoglobin level was related to recovery of high tone in the severe group (p = 0.049 for 4000 Hz; p = 0.047 for 8000 Hz).

CONCLUSIONS

Severe-to-profound SSNHL showed poor prognosis for hearing gain. The interval from onset to treatment was a significant prognostic factor for severe SSNHL, while the presence of vertigo, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and periventricular white-matter findings were significant prognostic factors for profound SSNHL.