What type of hearing loss is typically associated with cholesteatoma?

Cholesteatoma is an abnormal skin growth in the middle ear that can develop due to chronic ear infections or from a retraction of the eardrum. The presence of a cholesteatoma often leads to conductive hearing loss because it interferes with the normal transmission of sound through the middle ear structures. The growth can erode important bones in the middle ear, such as the malleus and incus, disrupting the sound conduction pathway.

Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound waves are not effectively conducted through the outer ear, tympanic membrane (eardrum), or the middle ear bones to the inner ear. This makes cholesteatoma an appropriate association with conductive hearing loss as it physically obstructs or damages these structures.

In contrast, sensorineural hearing loss involves damage to the inner ear or the auditory nerve and is not typically caused by cholesteatoma. Mixed hearing loss involves both conductive and sensorineural components, while central hearing loss refers to issues in the auditory processing centers in the brain, none of which are directly associated with the presence of a cholesteatoma in the middle ear.