A case of cortical deafness.

The presentation of cortical deafness, associated with mild dysphasia due to bilateral temporo-parietal infarction in a 70-year-old man, is described. Partial return of hearing occurred and associated with this a more complex cortical hearing disorder was seen with elements of both decreased auditory acuity and auditory agnosia. After 1 year a mild hearing loss persisted with difficulty in speech discrimination and an inability to recognise music. Bilateral temporo-parietal infarction was confirmed by CT scan. The cortical auditory evoked responses were initially absent despite intact brain stem auditory evoked responses. After a year, the cortical evoked responses had returned.