Assessment of Vestibular Function in Patients with Congenital Bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Case-Control Study

/Objectives : The cochlea and vestibular organs develop concurrently during embryogenesis and share anatomical and functional pathways. As a result, congenital factors affecting the vestibulocochlear system may impair both hearing and vestibular function. Despite this, the relationship between congenital bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and vestibular dysfunction remains insufficiently defined....

Audiologists and ENT clinicians managing patients with congenital bilateral sensorineural hearing loss should consider routine vestibular screening, as this population may have co-occurring balance dysfunction linked to shared embryological development.

Identifying vestibular dysfunction in congenital hearing loss patients could prompt earlier vestibular rehabilitation and improve overall functional outcomes.

1. 01Case-control design compared vestibular function in patients with congenital bilateral sensorineural hearing loss vs. normal-hearing controls.
2. 02The cochlea and vestibular organs share embryological origins, making co-dysfunction biologically plausible.
3. 03Findings may support adding vestibular assessment to the standard workup for congenital hearing loss.
4. 04Published in JCIM; study quality depends on case-control matching and size (not stated).
5. 05Relevant to pediatric audiology, cochlear implant candidacy evaluation, and rehabilitation planning.

PMID

42123165

DOI

10.3390/jcm15093431.

Journal

Journal of Clinical Medicine

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

3

Population

Patients with congenital bilateral sensorineural hearing loss compared to normal-hearing controls

Intervention

Vestibular function assessment battery

Comparator

Normal-hearing controls