[Cochlear-vestibular ototoxicity by gentamicin. Report of a case and literature review]

Gentamicin is an antibiotic member of the aminoglycosides family with well known potential to cause permanent ototoxicity by damaging more likely the cochlea vestibular system. We are reporting the clinical case of a 48 year-old female who was treated with such IV drug because of abdominal surgery. She had no otologic past history, and was complaining of tinnitus, periferical vertigo and progressive bilateral neurosensorial hearing loss, it est, cochlear-vestibular symptoms. After the withdrawol of gentamicin, the vestibular pathologic symptoms but not the hearing loss had improved, docummented by the persistance of the audiometric decay in the acute frequencies. Prevention is the best way to avoid iatrogenic lesions with thesse climps.