Does Spinal Anesthesia Cause Hearing Loss in the Obstetric Population?

Abstract

Sixty obstetric patients were enrolled in the study to examine the possible effects of spinal anesthesia on their hearing. By using an audiometer, the patient's hearing was evaluated before delivery, after delivery, and for the following 2 days. There was no significant change of hearing in any of the patients.

Role of repeated epidural injections in preventing post-spinal hearing loss

“…The magnitude of change in hearing threshold was statistically significant but small (Tables 2 and 4), as with earlier studies documenting postspinal hearing loss [9,10,16]. Intravascular volume replacement affects post-spinal hearing loss [11].…”

“…If the postoperative dB level was significantly higher than the preoperative value, it signified a change in hearing ability [9]. In Group S, there was a significant increase in the postoperative mean hearing threshold at 500 Hz (right ear) as compared with the preoperative hearing threshold ( Table 2; P b 0.05).…”

“…Clinically significant hearing loss was defined as a change of more than 10 dB loss in ≥ two frequencies [9]. The number of patients who exhibited such a postoperative decrease in hearing ability was not statistically different: 2/ 15 in Group S (-15 dB and -35 dB loss) and 0/15 in Group E. Of the two Group S patients, one patient also complained of postdural puncture headache on the first postoperative day, which subsided by the next day with conservative therapy.…”

“…There is no uniform criterion for defining hearing loss in previous studies [5,9,[11][12][13]. To define a significant decrease in hearing threshold, we used comparison of preoperative with postoperative threshold.…”

Sudden (reversible) sensorineural hearing loss in pregnancy

“…They suggested that the explanation of the hearing loss could be a biological mechanism similar to endolymphatic hydrops, resulting from perilymphatic hypotension due to ''loss of liquor during and after the spinal anaesthesia''. However, Finegold et al [9] tested the hypothesis that women undergoing elective caesarean delivery with a subarachnoid block (SAB) suggesting that they may experience hearing loss due to lumbar puncture and cerebrospinal fluid leakage causing hypoacusis. They could find no difference in the hearing levels in the period immediately before and 2 days after the caesarean.…”