Conductive Hearing Loss with Present Acoustic Reflex: A Case Report

Takashi Sakamoto^*, Shu Kikuta, Shinji Urata, Kazuo Yasuhara, Yayoi S. Kikkawa, Tatsuya Yamasoba

Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/ojcd.2014.43026                

Abstract

Acoustic reflex is a sensitive indicator of middle ear lesions when the tympanic membrane is in-tact and tympanometry is normal. Acoustic reflex is not usually observed in conductive hearing loss caused by disruption of the ossicular chain including ossicular discontinuity and fixation. Ossicular disruption can show at least partially intact acoustic reflex under a certain condition. Moreover, ossicular discontinuity with a nearly intact acoustic reflex is quite rare and there have been few reports published to date. We here present a rare case of conductive hearing loss with a nearly intact acoustic reflex, and the patient was surgically confirmed to have ossicular discontinuity.

Keywords

Acoustic Reflex, Conductive Hearing Loss, Ossicular Discontinuity

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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