Mediterr. J. Otol 2006; 3:156-160

Resolution of delayed sudden sensorineural hearing loss after stapedectomy: A case report and review of the literature

Noam Yehudai;  Michal Luntz

Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Bnai-Zion Medical Center, Technion-Israel School of Technology, Haifa, Israel michal.luntz@b-zion.org.il

Significant sensorineural hearing loss may develop immediately after successful stapedectomy but sometimes occurs months or even years later. The rate of recovery from that disorder has not been determined. Several reports in the 1960s described patients with delayed sensorineural hearing loss, but that entity has not been mentioned in the English-language literature for the last 30 years. We present a review of the literature on this postsurgical auditory complication and describe a patient with delayed poststapedectomy sensorineural hearing loss that developed 15 months after surgery and resolved completely after treatment with an oral steroid.