Congenital malformation of the inner ear associated with recurrent meningitis

Congenital deformities of the labyrinth of the inner ear can be associated with meningitis and varying degrees of hearing loss or deafness. A recurren ce of meningitis is due to the development of a fistulous communication bet ween the subarachnoid space and the middle ear cavity, and can prove lethal . An illustrative case of a 1-year-old Japanese girl with bilateral severe hearing loss, recurrend meningitis and malformations of the inner ear and s tapes footplate is presented. Removal of the stapes during tympanotomy prov oked a gush of cerebrospinal fluid. The defect was repaired successfully, a nd there has been no further episodes of meningitis to date.