Pneumolabyrinth without temporal bone fracture: different outcomes for hearing recovery

Abstract

Pneumolabyrinth is a rare clinical manifestation seen in the practice of otology. It occurs usually after head trauma with temporal bone fracture. However, pneumolabyrinth without temporal bone fracture is a very rare occurrence. When it occurs, it is usually diagnosed by high-resolution computed tomography of the temporal bone. Therapy for pneumolabyrinth is conservative treatment or an exploratory tympanotomy. Recently, we saw two cases of pneumolabyrinth after trauma without temporal bone fracture. The patients were treated with conservative management for the pneumolabyrinth. However, the degree of recovery from hearing loss was different for each patient.