Hearing loss after spinal and general anesthesia: A comparative study.

Hearing loss has been described after spinal anesthesia. We examined the hearing in patients before and after spinal and general anesthesia by pure tone audiometry (LdB: 125-1500 Hz; HdB: 2000-8000 Hz). Tympanic membrane displacement analysis was used to noninvasively monitor the intralabyrinthine and intracranial pressure. Eighteen patients received spinal anesthesia (G(SA)); 19 patients general anesthesia (G(GA)). Pure tone audiometry and TMD data were obtained preoperatively ((0)) and postoperatively on day 1 ((1)) and 2 ((2)). The mean threshold differences (Delta) in LdB(10) and LdB(20) were significantly different in G(SA) compared with G(GA) (DeltaLdB(10) + 0.15+/-3.07 dB vs. -1.34+/-3.77 dB, P = 0.05; DeltaLdB(20) -0.54+/-2.24 dB vs. -2.45+/-3.39 dB, P<0.01). However, there were no differences in DeltaHdB(10) between G(SA) and G(GA), but in DeltaHdB(20) (-1.40+/-3.95 dB vs -5.12+/- 6.35 dB, P = <0.01). We found a significant correlation between the magnitude of intraoperative intravascular volume replacement and low-frequency hearing loss. Tympanic membrane displacement values were not different pre- and postoperatively. Hearing was impaired after spinal and general anesthesia. Low-frequency hearing loss was correlated with intraoperative volume replacement. Tympanic membrane recordings did not reveal significant changes.