Is There a Relationship Between Bone Quality and Hearing Level?

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the correlation between skull bone attenuation on temporal bone computed tomography (CT) and bone mineral density (BMD) of the central skeleton on dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and the correlation between bone quality and hearing level.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective observational.

SETTING: Tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS/INTERVENTIONS: One hundred and one ears of 101 patients who underwent temporal bone CT and DXA with pure tone audiometry within 3 months of CT.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Bone quality was measured by both bone attenuation of the clivus and petrous apex by setting a circular region of interest and by the cortical thickness of the occipital bone on CT. Partial correlation analysis was used to assess the correlation between bone quality around the skull on CT and BMD in the central skeleton after adjusting for age and sex. Partial correlations between pure tone audiometry and CT/DXA results were sought.

RESULTS: There was no significant correlation between measurements on CT and BMD on DXA. The hearing level partially correlated with BMD on DXA. The average threshold of bone conduction showed a significant correlation with BMD at the femoral neck (correlation coefficient -0.241, p = 0.020) and trochanter (correlation coefficient -0.244, p = 0.018), but there was no significant correlation between the average threshold of bone conduction and BMD at the lumbar spine (p = 0.177-0.332).

CONCLUSION: We could not find a relationship between hearing loss and bone quality. Hearing levels can be affected by various factors, so further studies are needed to assess regional temporal bone quality.