(A868) The Utility and Outcomes of Diagnostic Imaging in Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Patients

Introduction: To retrospectively review the utility and outcomes of diagnostic imaging as part of a clinical protocol for the assessment and management of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL).

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on a cohort of patients with diagnosis of SSNHL. A total of 74 patients who presented to a Canadian tertiary-based otology/neurotology ambulatory clinic from January 2021-September 2021 were evaluated. Electronic medical records were used to collect patient demographics, MR/CT imaging, and audiometric reports for data analysis.

Results: An analysis of 74 patients revealed that 55 received MRIs with an average of 148 days between onset of SSNHL and the scan, and 12 underwent high-resolution CT scans with an average of 140 days. MRI findings identified 5 patients with pathologic findings, including two patients with vestibular schwannoma, and individual findings of meningioma, small vessel ischemic disease, and superior semicircular canal dehiscence. Of the SSNHL patients who underwent CT imaging, one patient was identified with a partially expanded sella with prominent venous channels, and a second patient with chronic mastoiditis.

Conclusions: Current SSNHL guidelines all recommend MRI diagnostic imaging as part of the clinical evaluation. 5 of 55 SSNHL patients receiving MRI and 2 of 12 patients receiving high-resolution CT as part of their SSNHL evaluation at our centre had identifiable temporal bone and retro cochlear pathologies. The relevancy of some of these findings in relation to SSNHL causation remains questionable, particularly with the current clinical challenges of acquiring emergent access to diagnostic imaging when managing patients with SSNHL. Diagnostic imaging remains helpful in identifying possible underlying pathophysiology of SSNHL. We encourage efforts to pursue more timely diagnostic imaging more acutely after the onset of hearing loss, as the ability to more accurately diagnose the cause of the hearing loss will effect both treatment and overall prognosis.