Renewal of a hearing aid is a medical task

Ugeskr Læger 2012;174(46):2849-2850

A 67 year-old man was known to have a right-sided hearing loss with a normal discrimination score (DS) and was treated with a hearing aid (HA) in the right ear. An MRI-scan was normal. In 2006 and 2010 the HA was renewed at a private hearing aid clinic. No DS was performed. At the audiology clinic we found a masked DS of 0% and progression of the hearing loss. An MRI-scan revealed a vestibular schwannoma (VS) on the right side. The patient was fitted with an HA in the left ear and MRI-scans every six months. A masked DS could have revealed the VS and correct treatment thus could have been initiated sooner.