Abstract
We report a case of temporary decrease in bilateral hearing after a lumbar puncture. A 46-year-old female underwent extradural anesthesia for vaginal hysterotomy. During administration of the extradural anesthesia between lumbar vertebra No. 4 and 5 using a 17-gauge needle, the dura mater was damaged, resulting in leakage of cerebrospinal fluid. Lumbar puncture was then performed between lumbar vertebra No. 3 and 4 and the operation was performed. On the following day, the patient complained of bilateral hearing loss, headache, and tinnitus. The audiometry showed a hearing loss of 20-50dB mainly in the low frequency range. The patient was treated with lactated Ringer's injection and vitamin B12. An audiogram on the seventh postoperative day showed improvement. Normal hearing returned 4 weeks later. Seven months later, the patient underwent spinal anesthesia again for fracture dislocation of the left ankle. A 25-gauge needle was used for this anesthesia. She did not complain of headache and hearing loss, but minor hearing deficits were found by audiometry. We speculate that the hearing loss could be due to endolymphatic hydrops resulting from perilymphatic hypotonia due to loss of CSF.
