Cryptococcal meningitis: presentation as sudden deafness
Maslan, M.J.; Graham, M.D.; Flood, L.M.
American Journal of Otology 6(5): 435-437
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0192-9763 PMID: 4050983 Document Number: 251914
A case in a 49-yr-old diabetic black woman is reported. She presented with a 2-d history of bilateral profound deafness and tinnitus of sudden onset following a 2-month neurological illness. Microscopy and culture of cerebrospinal fluid revealed Cryptococcus neoformans. Treatment with amphotericin B and 5-fluorocytosine failed to restore hearing. Auditory brain stem response and electrical promontory stimulation suggested a profound deafness with poor neuronal survival and a retrocochlear lesion. It is concluded that it is important to exclude cryptococcal meningitis as the cause of sudden onset of sensorineural deafness prior to embarking on a course of steroid therapy.