Sudden onset bilateral hearing loss after forehead osteoma removal associated with superior semicircular canal dehiscence

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) following non-otologic surgery is a rare but potentially devastating complication. We report a case of bilateral SNHL occurring after elective excision of a frontal bone osteoma under general anaesthesia....

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A single case report; no practice change warranted, but clinicians should be aware that undiagnosed superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) may predispose patients to sudden hearing loss following seemingly unrelated head or skull surgery.

This rare complication illustrates the importance of pre-surgical inner ear screening — particularly for SSCD — in patients undergoing any craniofacial procedure, an area where audiologists may play a consultative role.

1. 01Patient developed sudden bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) after forehead osteoma (bony skull growth) removal.
2. 02Pre-existing but undiagnosed superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD — a thin or absent bone over an inner ear canal) is proposed as the underlying mechanism.
3. 03This represents an extremely rare post-surgical complication with only case-level evidence.
4. 04Pre-operative audiological and imaging workup might have identified the at-risk anatomy.
5. 05Authors call for clinician awareness of SSCD as a surgical risk factor.

PMID

42705055

DOI

10.1016/j.jcms.2026.109873.

Journal

Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery

Publication type

case_report

Evidence level

4

Sample size

1

Population

Single patient who developed bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss post-forehead osteoma removal

Intervention

Forehead osteoma surgical removal