Sudden Hearing Loss Associated With Cochlear Membrane Rupture: Two Human Temporal Bone Reports

Abstract

\s=b\Cochlear membrane ruptures occurred in the left temporal bones of two patients\p=m-\onewas a result of barotrauma caused by flying and was associated with sudden deafness, tinnitus, and some vertigo and the second occurred in a patient with profound deafness in a previously normal-hearing ear. Both occurred as ruptures of Reissner's membrane at the junction of the ductus reuniens with the cecum vestibulare portion of the cochlear duct. With healing, a balloon-like structure formed from the rupture site into the adjacent vestibule, resulting in a secondarily ruptured saccule duct in one case and in collapse of the saccule in the second case. Left-sided preponderance of such ruptures and the vulnerability of the ductus reuniens junction with the cochlea are described.

Ante mortem Ruptures of the Endolymphatic Membranes in Children: Real Finding or Artifact?

“…As etiology an infectious or vascular damage seems to be most likely. Gussen [7], however, observed ruptures in Reissner's membrane at the junction of the ductus reuniens with the cecum vestibulare portion of the cochlear duct. The discrepancy between the location of the fistulae could be explained by the different pathomechanisms (barotrauma vs. infectious or vascular etiology).…”

“…Ruptures of the endolymphatic membranes were observed in patients which experienced a barotrauma [7,10] or suffered from Ménière's disease [5,11]. Typically the histopathological study of temporal bones from patients with Ménière's disease demonstrates bulging of the endolymphatic membranes [1].…”

Transient Auditory Dysfunction: A Description and Study of Prevalence

“…7 The third mechanism postulated is rupture of the intracochlear membrane, illustrated in 2 cases by Gussen. 8 The fourth mechanism may be via immune-mediated disease of the inner ear.…”

Three-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Inner Ear in Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

“…He postulated that the sensorineural hearing loss is caused by the mixing of endolymph and perilymph following the disruption of the cochlear membranes. Güssen [14] demonstrated a rupture of Reissner's membrane in temporal bone studies of 3 patients with sudden hearing loss. Schuknecht and Donovan [15] found no histological evidence of cochlear membrane ruptures or healed breaks in the temporal bones of 12 cases of ISSHL and emphasized that fistulae of the cochlear duct are not associated with a generalized decrease in cochlear function [15].…”