About Eric P. Wilkinson, MD Expertise I am a board-certified otolaryngologist with additional subspecialty training in otology, neurotology, and skull base surgery. This is the subspecialty of otolaryngology that involves the ear, hearing, balance organs, the facial nerve, and surgery of the skull base including surgery for acoustic neuroma and other benign and malignant tumors of the base of the skull.
Experience Medical school, residency in otolaryngology, fellowship in otology/neurotology/skull base surgery
Organizations American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
North American Skull Base Society
American Neurotology Society
Publications Laryngoscope Otology and Neurotology
Education/Credentials MD Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 2001
Otolaryngology Residency, University of Iowa Department of Otolaryngology, Iowa City, IA
Otology/Neurotology Fellowship, House Ear Clinic, Los Angeles, CA
Expert: Eric P. Wilkinson, MD Date: 9/19/2007 Subject: sudden hearing loss with humming
Question Hi,
I'm a 40 year old male. About ten days ago my right ear started to hum,
loudly, as if my ear was pressed up against a refrigerator compressor. A few
days ago I noticed that my right ear seems to have lost all response to low-
frequency sounds. I noticed the hearing loss by listening to headphones: my
left ear hears "full spectrum" sound while my right ear hears sound that
seems to be coming through a soda straw inasmuch as I'm hearing virtually
no low-frequency sounds through this right ear.
By way of background, about three weeks ago I had a sore throat that
subsequently turned into a moderate sinus/head cold (which has since
subsided). During the head cold I traveled overseas for a week, spending
about 15 hours in each direction on a series of airline flights. I took doses of
pseudoephedrine HCl during the outbound and return flights in an effort to
keep the flight-related pressure changes from causing discomfort. I've had
an intermittent "full feeling" in both ears during and since the head cold has
subsided, but no other ear-related discomfort.
Is an ear infection the likely cause of the hum and low-frequency hearing
loss? Is a doctor visit necessary?
Thanks,
Chris
Answer You should have an audiogram and an evaluation by an ENT physician. You may have cochlear hydrops, a treatable pressure condition of the inner ear. You may need an MRI scan with gadolinium to look at the inner ear, and the hearing loss may be treatable depending on the type.
