Damaged Auditory Nerve Without Hearing Loss?

[martin12]

Hi Dr. Nagler-

Curious if you know of any cases where one can damage the auditory nerve yet not show hearing loss up to standard measurements? If the auditory nerve was damaged from head injury then would hearing loss not be a result?

I suffered a head injury in mid march, although there was no skull fractures my jaw, and right side of the head did sustain bumps.

Thank you for your insight.

 

[Dr. Nagler]

Hi Dr. Nagler-
Curious if you know of any cases where one can damage the auditory nerve yet not show hearing loss up to standard measurements? If the auditory nerve was damaged from head injury then would hearing loss not be a result?

I suffered a head injury in mid march, although there was no skull fractures my jaw, and right side of the head did sustain bumps.

I believe you are saying that you have tinnitus that developed after a head injury, that your hearing thresholds are normal, and that you wonder if in spite of the normal hearing thresholds your tinnitus could be the result of auditory nerve damage without evidence of any other structural insult.

If that's what you are asking, my thinking is that it would be highly unlikely. Perhaps I'm missing something, but I do not quite understand how it could be clinically relevant one way or the other.

Hope this helps more than frustrates -

Dr. Stephen Nagler