Recovery of cochlear and vestibular function after labyrinthine haemorrhage

Abstract

Inner ear haemorrhage is a rare disorder with disabling symptoms. Prognosis is generally considered to be poor with essentially no chance of functional recovery. The most common aetiologies are related to blood dyscrasias, anticoagulant therapy or local trauma. The association with autoimmune diseases is exceptional. The authors report a case of sudden deafness with vertigo in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis, caused by labyrinthine haemorrhage. Clinical picture and progress of audiovestibular function are described along with imagiological features from magnetic resonance imaging. Inner ear haemorrhage is a rare disorder with disabling symptoms and poor prognosis. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case described with documented vestibular function recovery following labyrinthine haemorrhage.