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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2023; 27(03): e499-e510
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1750766
Original Research

Asymmetry of Occupational Noise Induced Hearing Loss: An Electrophysiological Approach

Philippe Henri DeJonckere 
1   Federal Agency for Occupational Risks, Brussels, Belgium
,
Jean Lebacq
2   University of Louvain, Neurosciences, Brussels, Belgium
› Author Affiliations Funding The author(s) received no financial support for the research.
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Abstract

Introduction The question as to whether occupational noise exposure causes symmetrical or asymmetrical hearing loss is still controversial and incompletely understood.

Objective Two electrophysiological methods (cortical evoked response audiometry: CERA and auditory steady state responses: ASSR) were used to address this issue.

Method 156 subjects with a well-documented history of noise exposure, a wide range of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) and without middle ear pathology underwent both a CERA and an ASSR examination in the context of an exhaustive medicolegal expert assessment intended for possible compensation.

Results Whatever the method (CERA or ASSR), the average electrophysiological hearing thresholds (1-2-3 kHz) are significantly worse in the left ear. The right - left differences in CERA and ASSR thresholds are strongly correlated with each other. No significant effect of frequency is found. No correlation is observed between right - left differences in hearing thresholds and either age or degree of hearing loss.

Conclusion In NIHL, there is an actual average right - left difference of about 2.23 dB, i.e., 3.2%, the left ear being more impaired.

Keywords

hearing loss - asymmetry - evoked potentials - noise


Publication History

Received: 01 October 2021

Accepted: 15 May 2022

Article published online:
29 March 2023

© 2022. Fundação Otorrinolaringologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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