Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Pronunciation: SEN-sor-ee-NYOOR-ul
Also written as: SNHL — Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Hearing loss originating from damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or the auditory nerve, as opposed to the outer or middle ear.
Full Definition
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the most common type of permanent hearing loss and results from dysfunction of the hair cells in the cochlea or the vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII). It may be congenital, age-related (presbycusis), noise-induced, or due to ototoxic medications. Unlike conductive loss, SNHL typically cannot be reversed surgically. For editorial purposes, the term is always presented as one word ('sensorineural'), not hyphenated or split into two words.
Usage
Usage note: Always written as a single, unhyphenated word: 'sensorineural', not 'sensori-neural' or 'sensory-neural'. Abbreviate to SNHL on second reference in clinical documents.
In Context
- "Children diagnosed with moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss were fitted with hearing aids within three months of diagnosis." — Pediatric audiology case study
- "The author incorrectly hyphenated 'sensorineural'; the correct form is a single unhyphenated adjective." — Copy-editing note