Hearing results following posterior semicircular canal injury during antesigmoid retrolabyrinthine selective vestibular nerve section.

The disastrous hearing results in six patients whose posterior semicircular canal was entered during antesigmoid mastoid craniotomy for retrolabyrinthine selective vestibular nerve section were reviewed. The injury occurred during skeletonization of the posterior semicircular canal to maximize intracranial exposure of the eighth nerve. All patients had Meniere's disease. Four patients were deafened, and in two, there was either no serviceable hearing or severe hearing impairment in the operated ear. Caution is urged in posterior semicircular canal labyrinthotomy for vertigo and attempted hearing preservation if a patient has symptoms of endolymphatic hydrops.