Bilateral oval window fistulae with recurrent meningitis.

A case of recurrent meningitis due to a congenital stapes footplate defect is reported. This is the first case to be reported in which a bilateral defect has been clearly demonstrated. A suggestion is made that any future cases which have a defect on one side, might benefit from a prophylactic exploration on the seemingly uninvolved ear, providing that these cases are shown to have a bilateral total sensori-neural hearing loss.