Abstract
Introduction Asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss is the main early symptom of retrocochlear lesions, hence its importance in screening for vestibular schwannomas. Currently, there is no consensus regarding its definition. The objective was to identify the audiometric pattern that would serve as a predictor for vestibular schwannoma in patients with asymmetric hearing loss. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted that included patients with asymmetric hearing loss attending a secondary care center and a tertiary care center. Clinical, audiometric and imaging (MRI with gadolinium) variables were collected. Asymmetric hearing loss was defined as a difference of 15 dB in one or more frequencies between both ears. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy of different audiometric patterns were analyzed. Results A total of 107 patients were studied and divided into two groups: group 1 without vestibular schwannoma (n=98); and group 2 with vestibular schwannoma (n=9). No significant difference in demographic characteristics or audiometric patterns was found in patients with and without vestibular schwannoma. The audiometric pattern with the best sensitivity as a screening test was a difference >20 dB in the 4,000 Hz frequency, with a sensitivity of 77.78%, specificity of 30.61%, PPV of 8.33%, NPV of 93.75% and accuracy of 34.50%. Conclusion The audiometric pattern with the best results was a difference >20 dB in the 4,000 Hz frequency range; however, patients with asymmetric hearing loss could not be differentiated from patients with retrocochlear lesions based only on audiometry. Asymmetrical hearing loss must be studied with MRI.