Acute Hearing Loss in the Contralateral Ear after Vestibular Schwannoma Removal

ABSTRACT

Hearing loss in the contralateral functioning ear is a rare and distressing complication after vetibular schwannoma removal. Various possible mechanisms have been proposed, however, the etiology of hearing loss is not clear. Fortunately, this is an extremely rare occurrence, sporadic case reports have appeared in the literatures. We report two cases of acute contralateral hearing loss after vestibular schwannoma removal and discuss the possible mechanisms of the phenomenon. Although permanent deafness may result, in our cases, the hearing loss was temporary, returning to near preoperative level within one month. The etiology of hearing loss in one case is thought to be cerebrospinal fluid leakage. However, in the other case, the cause of hearing loss is not clear. A better understanding of these events may lead to preventive measures to avoid contralateral hearing loss after vestibular schwannoma removal.