Unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss after spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean section: A case report

Abstract

The relationship between spinal anesthesia and hearing loss is not well understood, but is thought to be due to leakages of cerebrospinal fluid, which may or may not induce postural puncture headache. Previous studies have reported no risk of hearing loss in patients under 40 or the obstetric population. We present a case of a young woman who experienced severe sudden unilateral hearing loss after spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean section. This case illustrates that young, obstetric patients may experience hearing loss after spinal anesthesia. © 2012 Benson AG, et al.