[Hearing disorders in obliteration of the carotid artery. 2. Contribution to hearing loss in the aged].

Otologic-audiologic examination was carried out in 75 patients (between 42 and 86 years of age; average age: 65 years) with confirmed internal angiologic obliteration of the carotid artery, either unilateral or bilateral. There were 51 unilateral and 24 bilateral stenoses/occlusions. Diseases of the ear were excluded clinically and audiologically. - The mean hearing loss shows a sensorineural high tone loss in the tone audiogram. The range of scatter of high tone loss increases proportionally to the increase of frequency. - Compared with the physiological examination of geriatric patients, the total word comprehension and especially the minimal discrimination loss point towards a pathologic impairment of hearing. The total word comprehension amounts to 250.79% in the 51-60 age group, 237.79% in the 61-70 age group, 175.83% in persons aged 71-80 years, and 118.33% for those over 80 years of age. The minimal discrimination loss comprises 5.83% in the 51-60 age group, 9.79% in the 61-70 age group, 22.50% in patients between 71 and 80 years, and 48.00% in those over 80 years. - No connection between the extent of loss of hearing and the stage of obliteration of the carotid artery can be shown. However, the decompensation of total word comprehension and especially the minimal discrimination loss is a very important sign. - These findings contribute towards a differentiation of physiologic and pathologic hearing diseases in old age with particulas reference to the underlying arteriosclerotic disease.