[Acute unilateral deafness and contralateral hearing loss following inguinal hernia repair under controlled anesthesia].

Acute hearing loss following non-otologic surgery and general anesthesia is a rare occurrence. Deafness following anesthesia has more commonly been associated with spinal anesthesia or cardiopulmonary bypass surgical procedures. We present a case with unilateral cochlear dysfunction and sensorineural hearing loss after inguinal hernia operation. The literature is reviewed and the mechanisms causing hearing loss during anesthesia are discussed.