The protective effect of a conductive hearing loss in workers exposed to industrial noise.

There is controversy as to whether a conductive hearing loss protects the inner ear from the effects of loud noise. A retrospective study was carried out on 24 patients with a combination of unilateral conductive hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss. This allowed subjects to act as their own controls. There was no statistical difference in thresholds between the two ears; possible explanations for this finding are discussed.