Sudden deafness and right-to-left shunts.

PURPOSE: One of the etiologies for idiopathic sudden deafness is considered to be ischemia of the inner ear. Cryptogenic stroke is caused by a right-to-left shunt (RLS). The present study investigated whether RLS is associated with the occurrence of sudden deafness.

METHODS

Contrast saline transcranial Doppler ultrasonography was performed to detect RLS. Subjects comprised 23 consecutive sudden deafness patients and 46 age- and gender-matched controls. Clinical characteristics, including vascular risk factors, were compared between sudden deafness and control groups.

RESULTS

RLS was more frequent in the sudden deafness group than in controls (48 vs. 17%, p = 0.011). No significant differences in other clinical characteristics were seen between groups.

CONCLUSION

RLS may be a potential cause of sudden deafness.