Hearing loss after general anesthesia for cecectomy and small bowel resection

Acute hearing deficit following nonotologic surgery and general anesthesia is a rare phenomenon. Hearing loss following anesthesia has more commonly been associated with spinal anesthesia or following cardiopulmonary bypass surgical procedures. This case study describes a patient who developed a left-sided hearing loss after cecectomy and small bowel resection. The postoperative management was directed toward reversing idiopathic hearing loss secondary to a microvascular hypoperfusion etiology. Possible causative factors and the management of sensorineural hearing loss following anesthesia are discussed.