sensorineural hearing loss
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A type of permanent hearing impairment caused by damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. It results from a failure of the auditory nerve or the sensory hair cells within the cochlea to properly transmit sound signals to the brain.
Usage
This term is used in medical and audiology contexts to describe a specific physiological cause of hearing loss. - The audiologist confirmed that the patient's condition was sensorineural hearing loss, likely due to prolonged exposure to loud noise. - Age-related sensorineural hearing loss often makes it difficult to understand speech, especially in noisy environments.
Advanced Usage
- Diagnostic Context: The term is often used in contrast to "conductive hearing loss" (which involves the outer or middle ear) and "mixed hearing loss" (a combination of both).
- The tympanogram was normal, ruling out a middle ear problem and pointing to sensorineural hearing loss.
Variants and Related Words
- Nerve deafness: An older, less specific synonym for sensorineural hearing loss.
- Cochlear hearing loss: A more specific term sometimes used when the damage is localized to the cochlea itself.
- Sensorineural deafness: A synonym emphasizing a profound degree of hearing loss.
Synonyms
- Perceptive hearing loss
- Nerve deafness
Related Phrases
- Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL): A rapid-onset subtype that is considered a medical emergency.
- He was diagnosed with sudden sensorineural hearing loss and started on a course of corticosteroids immediately.
- Bilateral sensorineural hearing loss: Hearing loss of this type occurring in both ears.
Noun
- hearing loss due to failure of the auditory nerve