Large vestibular aqueduct in distal renal tubular acidosis - High-resolution MR in three cases

High-resolution MR of the inner ear performed in 3 consecutive pediatric pa tients affected by distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA) and progressive sen sorineural hearing loss (SNHL) revealed enlarged vestibular aqueducts (LVA) (bilateral in 1 case and unilateral in 2). LVA is associated to sporadic, progressive SNHL, often secondary to minor head trauma and activities invol ving the Valsalva maneuver. We believe that the presence of LVA may have contributed to the onset of SN HL and its progression in our patients, and therefore want to stress the im portance of morphological studies of the inner ear in patients affected by dRTA and SNHL.