Contralateral labyrinthine concussion in temporal bone fractures

Abstract

In this case presentation, three cases of labyrinthine concussion in the opposite ears of patients who had unilateral traumatic temporal bone fractures with facial paralysis are reported. The first patient was a 30-year-old male who had a right-sided longitudinal temporal bone fracture and labyrinthine concussion showing pure sensorineural hearing loss with a characteristic notch of 60 dB at 4000 Hz on the left side. The second patient was a 42-year-old male who had a right-sided traumatic facial paralysis owing to a mixed-type temporal bone fracture and labyrinthine concussion, demonstrating pure sensorineural hearing loss reaching its peak of 50 dB at 4000 Hz on the left. The third patient was a 19-year-old male who had a left-sided mixed-type temporal bone fracture and a right labyrinthine concussion exhibiting pure sensorineural hearing loss reaching 60 dB at 4000 Hz. For their facial paralyses, all three patients underwent middle cranial fossa or combined approach operations. The labyrinthine concussion in these patients was managed expectantly. At their 1-year follow-up, it was observed that the hearing loss owing to labyrinthine concussion persisted. Although labyrinthine concussion is not a rare complication of head injuries, it has rarely been reported in the medical literature. The main symptoms of labyrinthine concussion are hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizziness. The diagnosis mainly relies on audiometric tests, which reveal characteristic tracings reminiscent of acoustic trauma.