The aim of this scoping review is to identify and categorize uncommon disorders of hearing instability, enabling a better understanding of their clinical presentations and treatments.
Audiologists should maintain a broadened differential diagnosis for patients with fluctuating hearing, as this scoping review catalogues uncommon conditions beyond Ménière's disease that may otherwise be missed or misattributed.
A structured taxonomy of uncommon hearing instability disorders gives clinicians and researchers a shared reference framework, potentially reducing diagnostic delays for patients with fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss.
- 01Scoping review published in Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology catalogues uncommon hearing instability disorders.
- 02Hearing instability refers to conditions where hearing fluctuates rather than following a stable or progressively worsening course.
- 03The review aims to improve clinical recognition and categorisation beyond well-known causes like Ménière's disease.
- 04Methodology is a scoping review — it maps the evidence landscape rather than pooling outcomes.
- 05Findings support future development of clinical guidelines for fluctuating hearing loss workup.
Multiple uncommon disorders cause hearing instability and are underrepresented in existing clinical frameworks.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42473775
- DOI
- 10.1177/00034894261470539.
- Journal
- Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology
- Publication type
- review
- Evidence level
- 2a
- Population
- Published literature on patients with uncommon disorders of hearing instability (fluctuating hearing loss)
- Intervention
- Scoping review and categorisation of uncommon hearing instability disorders
Primary outcomes
Identification and categorisation of uncommon hearing instability disorder types; Characterisation of clinical features distinguishing these conditions