突発する聴力低下で発症した前下小脳動脈閉塞の1例

Sudden Deafness due to Cochlear Ischemia in a Patient with Anterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Occlusion

Ⅰ．はじめに

　近年，椎骨脳底動脈領域の虚血性疾患の際に，聴力低下を来す症例が存在することが徐々に明らかとなりつつある．今回われわれは，突然の聴力低下と回転性眩暈で発症した小脳梗塞の1例を経験したので，放射線学的および神経耳科的検査所見をもとに，その発生機序を検討し，ここに報告する．

　Sudden deafness is a less-known symptom in patients with anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) infarction, and its underlying mechanism is still unclear. In this report, the authors describe a case of a 63-year-old male who suddenly developed right deafness and vertigo. MR imaging on admission revealed cerebral infarction in the right AICA territory infarction. Precise neuro-otological examinations, including auditory brainstem response (ABR) and oto-acoustic emissions (OAE), Caloric test, first demonstrated that his deafness resulted from cochlear dysfunction. The authors emphasize that hearing impairment can be one of the neurological sequelae due to AICA infarction, and that precise neuro-otological examination may be important to clarify its underlying mechanisms.