Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Excerpt

Hearing loss is a common complaint for which referrals are frequently made to secondary care for an otolaryngologist's attention. There are two types of hearing loss; conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the most common type and accounts for the majority of all hearing loss. SNHL refers to any cause of hearing loss due to a pathology of the cochlea, auditory nerve, or central nervous system. Patients with new-onset hearing loss should be investigated and undergo full audiometric evaluation by a multidisciplinary team, including an otolaryngologist, audiologist, radiologist, and speech/language therapist.