Sudden hearing loss following non-petrous craniotomy

We present two patients with known otosclerosis undergoing craniotomy for conditions unrelated to the temporal bone who experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss. In both patients, the hearing loss was noted immediately post-operatively and there was no subsequent recovery. Sudden hearing loss is a rare complication of non-otologic, non-cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. To our knowledge it has not been described in patients with otosclerosis undergoing craniotomy. This is a rare event that may occur in patients with vulnerable ears, such as those with otosclerosis or pre-existing sensorineural hearing loss.