Recurrent contralateral hearing loss after 2 craniotomies for vestibular schwannoma: etiologic implications

To describe recurrent sudden sensorineural hearing loss after contralateral vestibular schwannoma resection and re-resection.

Clinical capsule report.

Tertiary academic referral hospital.

A patient who underwent 2 craniotomies for vestibular schwannoma.

In 2003, a patient experienced contralateral low-frequency sensorineural hearing loss after undergoing translabyrinthine resection of a vestibular schwannoma. This resolved after a course of oral steroids. Seven years later, in 2010, the patient developed tumor recurrence. After retrosigmoid resection, the patient experienced a similar episode of transient, contralateral, low-frequency predominant sensorineural hearing loss.

The recurrence of contralateral hearing loss after craniotomies years apart suggests that patient specific anatomic risk factors predispose an individual to hearing loss after contralateral cerebellopontine angle surgery. Patients with previous history of contralateral hearing loss should be counseled that they may be at increased risk for recurrent loss in the setting of re-resection.