Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound cannot reach the inner ear due to a problem of the outer or middle ear. Common problems that can cause conductive hearing loss include ear wax (cerumen), outer ear infection (otitis externa or swimmers ear), a hole in the eardrum (tympanic membrane perforation), negative pressure of the middle ear (Eustachian tube dysfunction), or fluid in the middle ear (otitis media).

Other causes of conductive hearing loss can include a tumor, or cyst in the middle ear, (cholesteatoma), damage of the hearing bones, (ossicles) due to negative pressure changes/infection/previous ear surgery, or stiffening of the joints of the ossicles (such as otosclerosis).

Less common causes of conductive hearing loss can include abnormalities of the inner ear, such as superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) or large vestibular aqueduct syndrome (LVAS).