Does labyrinthectomy have an impact on hearing in the contralateral ear during long-term follow-up?

Abstract

Objective: To quantify contralateral hearing outcomes after labyrinthectomy for unilateral Ménière's disease (MD).

Study design: Retrospective case series.

Setting: Tertiary neurotology referral center.

Patients: Labyrinth removal for the management of MD or translabyrinthine (TLAB) acoustic neuroma resection between 2008 and 2012.

Main outcome measure: Long-term hearing changes via pure tone averages (PTA).

Results: Upon comparison of low-frequency PTA (250, 500, 1000 Hz), MD patients experienced a greater degree of hearing loss during the follow-up period when compared to the TLAB lab group (7.54 ± 2.11 dB vs 2.39 ± 1.10 dB, p = 0.035). This difference as attributable to 12 (28.6 %) MD patients experiencing a ≥30 dB increase in low-frequency PTA, whereas none (0.0 %) of the TLAB surpassed this threshold.

Conclusions: At 10 years post-labyrinthectomy there is a heightened risk for MD patients to develop low-frequency sensorineural hearing loss. Clinicians should monitor for audiometric changes through regular testing in the decade following labyrinth removal.

Keywords: Contralateral; Endolymphatic hydrops; Hearing outcomes; Labyrinthectomy; Ménière's disease.