Sensorineural deafness due to osteitis fibrosa.

A 91-year-old woman with deafness died from renal failure. Autopsy revealed osteitis fibrosa cystica generalisata, chronic myeloid leukemia, renal atrophy, and hyperplastic parathyroid glands. The temporal bones showed senile osteoporosis, osteitis fibrosa, and chronic myeloid leukemia. The inner ears showed extensive degeneration of cochlear sensorineural elements. The perilymph showed a general increased staining reaction with hematoxylin-eosin that was most evident in localized areas, where marrow spaces of osteitis fibrosa communicated directly with perilymph. It appears that the active diseased marrow exerted a toxic effect on the sensorineural elements of the cochlea by diffusion through the perilymph.