posterior cranial fossa tumours as a cause of sudden hearing deterioration andor vertigo introduction the aim of the work was to analyse sudden deterioration of hearing andor vertigo occurrence as an early symptom of posterior cranial fossa tumoursmaterial and methods among 1394 people who reported vertigo and hearing impairment and were hospitalised at the department of otolaryngology and laryngological oncology military teaching hospital in lodz within the years of 20072010 twentyseven patients were analysed this group included 19 women aged 2080 mean age 457 years and 8 men aged 2573 mean age 540 years who had posterior cranial fossa tumours diagnosed on the basis of mri each patient underwent a detailed interview otorhinolaryngological and otoneurological examinations pure tone speech and impedance audiometry suprathreshold tests sisi tdt tinnitus pitch and frequency evaluation auditory brainstem response abr complete videonystagmographyresults the studied material revealed acoustic neuroma in 15 patients cerebellar meningioma in 5 patients cerebellar cyst in 4 patients and cerebellar angioma in 3 patients sudden vertigo was present in 27 patients including mixedtype vertigo in 15 cases and central vertigo in 12 cases in 19 patients dizziness was accompanied by tinnitus in 22 patients hearing disorders were diagnosed in a form of sensorineural hearing loss in 14 subjects bilateral in 7 subjects leftlateral in 5 subjects and rightlateral in 2 subjects respectively as well as deafness in 8 patients including left ear deafness in 5 cases right ear deafness in 1 case and bilateral deafness in 2 cases 74conclusions the early phase diagnosis of a posterior cranial fossa tumour as a cause of sudden hearing deterioration andor vertigo is very seldom and often accidental because gps also otolaryngologists who follow routine and economy are not used to referring given patients for complete and objective audiological otoneurological and imaging diagnostics