A case report of retrolabyrinthine deafness after proton therapy for a cerebellar tumor

Abstract

 A 2-year-old girl presented to our department with left hearing impairment and visited. Her newborn hearing screening was normal, and she had no past history of otolaryngological disease. When she was 1 year old, she had been treated with chemotherapy and proton therapy for a cerebellar tumor. COR and OAE were normal, but ABR showed no response in the left ear. From this history and her examination results, she was diagnosed with delayed retrolabyrinthine deafness after photon therapy. She was prescribed oral steroids but her deafness did not improve. The case highlights the need to pay attention to delayed deafness caused by radiation therapy for a brain tumor and to conduct hearing examinations such as COR, OAE, and ABR and detailed interviews for obtaining medical histories in children.