Published online Apr 16, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i11.2519
Peer-review started: October 2, 2020
First decision: December 24, 2020
Revised: December 30, 2020
Accepted: February 11, 2021
Article in press: February 11, 2021
Published online: April 16, 2021
Processing time: 166 Days and 8.8 Hours
Sudden hearing loss (SHL) is associated with serious systematic conditions such as neoplasms, vascular events, autoimmune diseases, infections, and iatrogenic injury. Some authors report that SHL can be an early warning sign of impending vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke. It is important to distinguish stroke from benign disease.
A 48-year-old male patient presented with SHL and vertigo as first symptoms. Diffusion-weighted imaging revealed high signal intensity in the left posterior inferior cerebellar artery territory of the cerebellar hemisphere and high signal intensity in the right pons and bridge cerebellar arm, confirming that the patient had cerebral infarction. Treatment with antiplatelet drugs, steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, and neurotrophic nerve therapy promoted blood circulation and removed blood stasis, and the symptoms of the patient were significantly improved.
SHL and vertigo could be the initial symptoms of vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke.
Core Tip: We report a 48-year-old male patient who was confirmed to have cerebral infarction with sudden hearing loss and vertigo as initial presenting symptoms. Our case suggests that if a patient with vascular risk factors initially present with SHL and vertigo before additional signs of brainstem or cerebellar infarction appear, doctors should consider the possibility of symptoms of posterior circulation infarction. For stroke patients, timely diagnosis and treatment are needed.