Audiologic management of a patient with a sudden hearing loss and vestibular schwannoma in the contralateral ear.

The case of a 59-year-old male with a sudden-onset sensorineural hearing loss in one ear and an incidental finding of an intracanalicular vestibular schwannoma in the contralateral, normally hearing ear is reported. The patient was successfully fitted with a hearing aid in the ear with the sudden hearing loss, which notably had very poor word recognition. The questionable value of word-recognition scores in determining hearing aid candidacy is discussed. The importance of considering nonaudiologic factors in determining hearing aid candidacy is also highlighted.