MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Sensorineural deafness

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Sensorineural deafness

Contents of this page:
Illustrations Alternative names	Definition

Illustrations

Ear anatomy

Alternative names Return to top

Nerve deafness

Definition Return to top

Sensorineural deafness is an irreversible type of hearing loss that occurs when cochlear sensorineural elements or the cochlear nerve is damaged in some way; it can progress to total deafness in the involved ear(s).

Update Date: 10/23/2003

Updated by: Elaine T. Kiriakopoulos, M.D., M.Sc., Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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