Hearing Loss after Spinal Anaesthesia; A Case Report

Abstract

Spinal anaesthesia is a very common procedure, which technically is easy to perform and when correctly done generally has few and minor side effects. In this report, a case of bilateral hearing loss in the low-frequency range after lumbar anaesthesia is presented.
It is suggested that endolymphatic hydrops due to the loss of cerebrospinal fluid during the procedure played a role in the development of this complication.
Hearing loss may occur more often than it is generally assumed, though the symptom is often overlooked. Since not all of these hearing losses prove to be fully reversible, it is important to inform the patient concerning this complication.