Vertigo and Ear clinic

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Showing posts with label hearing disorders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hearing disorders. Show all posts

Vertigo and Ear Clinic


Sudden deafness, medically termed Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss(SSHL), usually occurs as a sudden, unexplained hearing loss in either one ear or both. 

Sudden hearing loss need not always be sudden, however, & can also occur gradually, until the hearing is completely lost in one or both the ears.

Sudden hearing loss should be considered a medical emergency, needing immediate attention of experts & specialists. 

Most times, people who develop sudden hearing loss hesitate to go to the doctor as they believe it will clear up on its own time. However, this is a dangerous assumption to make & the more you delay your visit to the doctor, the less the treatments of sudden hearing loss will be effective.

Most people who develop sudden hearing loss, do so in only one ear. Rarely enough, however, sudden hearing loss in both the ears is also seen. 


Diagnosis of Sudden Hearing Loss


Sudden hearing loss is diagnosed using a standard hearing test called Pure Tone Audiometry. This test determines if the hearing loss is caused by an obstruction in the path of sound waves like inner ear fluid, ear wax, tumours, etc., or if it is caused by neurological issues. This test can also determine the amount of hearing loss in decibels. 

If the test logs a loss of at least 30 decibels in three connected frequencies, then the patient is diagnosed as suffering from Sudden Hearing Loss. 

To make it clear for the layman reader to understand, a loss of 30 decibels in hearing frequency will make conversations on a regular pitch sound more like a whisper. 

Most people with sudden hearing loss notice the loss of hearing when they wake up in the morning one day. 

Some others, however, discover their hearing loss when they try to use the deafened ear while talking on phones or any other thing. 

Some people with sudden hearing loss also report hearing a loud ‘pop’ like sound just before they notice their hearing loss. 

Often, people who report to hospitals with sudden hearing loss also complain of feeling dizzy & a loud ringing noise in their ears also called tinnitus. 

This happens as a result of the neurological disturbances in the balance centre that is located in the inner ear. When a person experiences sudden hearing loss, their balance centre also gets disoriented, thus leading to sensations of spinning, a loss of balance, & feelings of dizziness. 


Causes of Sudden Hearing Loss


In most cases of Sudden hearing loss, close to approximately 85%, there is no proper identifiable cause. Only about 10-15% of patients with sudden hearing loss have a known cause. 

These known causes of sudden hearing loss include:

  • Certain infectious diseases that affect the inner ear

  • Trauma from a head injury

  • Autoimmune diseases like Cogan’s syndrome

  • Taking an overdose of ototoxic drugs, which are drugs that harm the sensory nerves in the inner ear

  • Blood circulation issues

  • A tumour on the nerve connecting the ear to the brain

  • Certain neurological disorders like Multiple Sclerosis, and

  • Inner ear diseases like Meniere’s Disease





Treatment of Sudden Hearing Loss


The most common treatment of sudden hearing loss, especially in cases where the cause of the hearing loss is unexplainable, is corticosteroids. 

Steroids are commonly used by medical practitioners to treat various types of disease & disorders. 

Steroids help by reducing inflammation in the body, decreasing swelling, & aiding the body’s immune system to fight back in most cases of viral infections. 

While steroids are usually prescribed in the form of a pill, direct injection based steroids therapy called intratympanic corticosteroid therapy, has also become popular in recent years.

In this, the corticosteroids are injected in liquid format behind the eardrum into the middle ear, where they travel into the inner ear & reduce any inflammation. 

Intratympanic corticosteroid therapy may also be beneficial for patients who are otherwise unable to take oral steroids. 

Depending on your exact diagnosis, your doctor will prescribe an adequate treatment plan that can help restore the sudden hearing loss. 


Trusting the right specialists & experts with your condition is the first step to take in order to help restore your sudden hearing loss. At Vertigo and Ear Clinic, we have a dedicated team of Vertigo & ear specialists that accurately diagnose, treat, & manage your conditions. 

We utilize a slew of innovative technology, experience, & expertise to help make each of our patients’ lives better. 

Learn more about the treatment of sudden hearing loss here

Learn more about us here


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Inputs from the eyes, inner ears and proprioceptive system maintains the balance system of our body. These three systems send signals to the brain for proper co-ordination and maintenance of balance. A neurotological evaluation encompasses an evaluation of functioning and co-ordination of these systems. Any disturbance in the harmonious and regular functioning of these systems is Balance Disorder and is diagnosed by our neurotological team.
The clinical tests which are done for evaluation of the balance or vestibular system include:
·         Video Frenzel for evaluation vestibulo-ocular reflex – spontaneous, pendulum, saccades, gaze induced nystagmus, head impulse test ,head shaking test;
  • Electronystagmography (ENG) - This is an investigation to evaluate the vestibulo ocular reflex (VOR) which is involved in maintenance of balance. Recording of the following tests are done to evaluate peripheral and central vestibular function:
    • Spontaneous nystagmus
    • Gaze evoked nystagmus
    • Saccades
    • Pendulum test
    • Optokinetic stimulation
    • Caloric stimulation
    • Fistula test
  • Craniocorpography with SLR camera - This is a test is evaluate the vestibulospinal reflex which is responsible for maintenance of balance during motion. We do various tests including:
    • Romberg test
    • Sharpened Romberg test
    • Tandem walking
    •  
Unterburger’s test - Pictorial reports are given to the patient. In Unterburger’s test, the following points are evaluated:
  • Displacement
  • Sway
  • Angle of deviation
  • Body axis spin

·         Evaluation of center of balance and maintenance of posture.
Vestibular exercises are essential to improve the compensation of the brain in recovering from disturbances in the balance system. This clinic is amongst the very few centers around the world where exercise programs are tailor-made to the requirements of each patient.
They have specialised services for patients of sudden hearing loss. Intratympanic injection [injection in the ear] is done in by a painless technique to improve hearing. Treatment of sudden hearing loss must be quick and effective and the final results becomes drastically poorer with time. The sooner treatment is started , the better is the final result to the hearing disorders.

 A migraine headache causes throbbing or pulsating pain, usually on only one side of the head. These headaches are often associated with nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound; they generally last between four hours and three days. Migraine treatment available here in vertigo and ear clinic is the best among all the other treatments available in other clinincs.

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Migraines are a form of a vascular headache, which means it is related to functionality of blood vessels. Migraine headaches are caused by a combination of vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) and the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around the blood vessels. It is the enlargement of these blood vessels which cause the severe headaches and dizziness. In the course of a migraine, the temporal artery enlarges. This is the artery that lies on the outside of the skull bone right under the temple of the fore head. This enlargement causes a certain scratching or an itch in the surrounding nerves and causes them to release come chemicals, which in turn cause inflammation and pain.

This inflammation often happens periodically to those who suffer from migraine headaches. It can happen on one or both or either sides of your head. Migraine headaches are often accompanied with mild or aggressive dizziness which causes nausea and urge to throw up. The reason or causes of migraine headaches can be anything to everything and they vary in a large number. The most common causes of migraine headaches occurring in people are increased sensitivity of the eyes to light (photophobia) with visual disturbance and flashes (aura), increased sensitivity to sound (phonophobia), dizziness, blurred vision, cognitive disturbances, and other increased periods of exposure to anything that might desensitivise the cranial nerves.