Large vestibular aqueduct syndrome: a tutorial and three case studies.

The large vestibular aqueduct (LVA) syndrome is a congenital malformation that predisposes the patient ultimately to a loss of hearing and possible continuing vestibular disorder. If the LVA patient is diagnosed, it typically is not until later life, when he/she exhibits profound sensorineural hearing loss. To better understand this disorder and to bring it to the attention of audiologists, we provide a brief tutorial of LVA and present three case studies that illustrate the syndrome.