Microvascular decompression (MVD) is a proven effective method for treating trigeminal neuralgia. However, compression of the 7th and 8th cranial nerves by vascular structures during surgery can lead to variable outcomes in auditory function. This case report presents a rare case suggesting that progressive hearing loss in the right ear may be primarily due to compression of the 7th and 8th nerves. A 53-year-old male patient with a history of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss presented with progressive hearing loss in the right ear. Imaging and examination revealed a vascular structure compressing the 7th and 8th cranial nerves at the cerebellopontine angle. Therefore, MVD was performed on the right side. In the postoperative period, the patient reported a marked improvement in hearing in his right ear. However, audiological examinations performed in the first week and first month postoperatively revealed objective deterioration in pure tone thresholds and a predominance of the sensorineural component. This case demonstrates that compression of the 7th and 8th cranial nerves may play a critical role in progressive hearing loss. It also highlights the need to include tinnitus scales, speech intelligibility, and quality of life parameters in the assessment, not just pure-tone audiometry findings, after MVD.
Aktoklu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.