Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Pronunciation: sen-sor-ee-NOO-ral
Also written as: SNHL — Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Hearing loss resulting from damage to or dysfunction of the cochlea (sensory component) or the auditory nerve (neural component), or both.
Full Definition
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the most common type of permanent hearing loss and arises from pathology in the inner ear hair cells, the cochlea as a whole, or the vestibulocochlear (VIII) nerve. It is characterised audiometrically by air- and bone-conduction thresholds that are equally elevated, with no significant air–bone gap. Common aetiologies include noise exposure, presbycusis, ototoxicity, and Ménière's disease. Editors must hyphenate 'sensorineural' as a single compound adjective and must not split it into 'sensory-neural' or render it as two words.
Usage
Usage note: 'Sensorineural' is always written as one unhyphenated word; the abbreviation SNHL is acceptable in clinical records on second reference.
In Context
- "The patient presented with a bilateral moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss, consistent with presbycusis." — Audiology diagnostic report
- "Authors frequently misspell 'sensorineural' as 'sensori-neural'; editors should correct this on sight." — Editorial style note