Bilateral Hearing Loss and Unilateral Cochlear Ossification in a Patient With Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Abstract

Bilateral sensorineural deafness and unilateral cochlear ossification have rarely been described in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). A 21-year-old man presented to a hospital with right-sided sudden hearing loss and tinnitus. He was diagnosed with CML. Five days later, sudden hearing loss appeared in the other ear. Abnormality of the right-sided inner ear structure was revealed by preoperative magnetic resonance imaging; honeycomb-like cochlear ossification was observed during cochlear implant surgery in the right ear. The patient's auditory performance exhibited significant improvement after bilateral cochlear implantation in our hospital. Hematological disorders must be considered in patients with sensorineural hearing loss. Cochlear implantation is feasible in patients with CML who exhibit sensorineural deafness, but cochlear ossification should be carefully evaluated by means of preoperative imaging examinations.

Keywords: chronic myelogenous leukemia; cochlear implantation; cochlear ossification; sudden hearing loss.