Sudden deafness following chromic acid application to a perforation of the tympanic membrane

It is current practice in the treatment of many ear diseases to instil locally into the ear potentially ototoxic agents. It is now becoming increasingly clear that some of these agents may pass from the middle to the inner ear despite the presence of intact labyrinthine windows and hence produce deafness. This paper reports a case of severe sensorineural deafness which developed following the application of chromic acid to a perforation of the tympanic membrane--a hitherto unrecognized complication. Therefore, the risks outlined above should be carefully considered prior to local therapy with any such agents and they should be applied with extreme caution.