Sudden hearing loss with delayed onset following head trauma.

Eight cases are reported with an identical history: head trauma with immediate profound deafness and vestibular dysfunction in one ear; then after a long latency, sudden hearing loss in the second ear, recurring and fluctuating with vestibular symptoms. Two cases were surgically explored. In one case 15 years after the trauma a perilymph fistula of the round window was found. In the other case a broad fracture of the basal coil of the cochlea was demonstrated, which had been asymptomatic for 18 years. In a retrospective study, 6 more cases with an identical course could be found. Latency between trauma and onset of symptoms in the second ear ranged from 4 to 33 years. Therapeutic and medico-legal aspects are discussed.