Word deafness presenting as a sudden hearing loss

Sudden hearing loss is a condition frequently seen in ENT departments and i s usually due to otological pathology. We present a patient who described s ymptoms of a sudden inability to hear but who, on further questioning and i nvestigations, had 'word deafness' due to bilateral temporoparietal infarct s. We discuss the clinical syndromes associated with these infarcts and the specific management of word deafness.