Reversible sensorineural hearing impairment induced by a carotid body tumor

A case of a 62-year-old Austrian man having a 25-year history of a right-si ded carotid body tumor (CBT) is presented. Three months before being transf erred to the University of Vienna for tumor resection the patient developed symptoms of tinnitus, progressive ipsilateral hearing loss and dysphagia. Pure-tone audiometry demonstrated a 50 dB right sensorineural hearing loss. A 6 x 6 x 4 cm firm, pulsatile mass was found in the right carotid triangl e and extending towards the base of the skull. One week after radical tumor resection all preoperative symptoms disappeared and hearing of the right e ar recovered. Review of the available literature showed that hearings loss and tinnitus are unusual symptoms of a CBT. Our findings suggest that routi ne audiometric evaluations in such cases of CBT patients should be obtained in order to determine the real incidence of audiological disorders.