The high-pitch notched audiogram: a cohort of patients without causative noise-induced hearing loss

BACKGROUND: One still encounters opinion that hearing loss with high-pitch notched audiogram is invariably due to noise-induced hearing loss. This paper tests this misapprehension. METHODS: A study was conducted of patients identified in a prospective manner with notched audiograms but no history of noise exposure occurring in an otolaryngological practice over a 20-year period. RESULTS: A cohort of 26 hearing loss patients, in whom notched audiograms were not associated with historical evidence of noise exposure, was documented. CONCLUSION: The findings confirm that a notched audiogram is not pathognomonic of noise-induced hearing loss.