Luetic deafness

Luetic deafness is an otologic tragedy, not only because it can cause a total sensori‐neural deafness, but also it is a treatable condition if recognized. The most prominent feature of luetic deafness is discrimination loss out of proportion to the pure tone threshold. It is usually caused by congenital or late lues. The FTA‐ABS test should be used as the diagnostic test because of its sensitivity and low number of false positive reactions. Treatment should be with high doses of penicillin and prednisone.