[Sudden bilateral hearing loss disclosing meningeal carcinomatosis]. / Surdité brusque bilatérale révélatrice d'une carcinomatose méningée.

ABSTRACT

We report the case of a patient presenting a sudden bilateral hearing loss. Four years before, a bladder carcinoma was resected and a chemotherapy was started. Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance images revealed enhancement of both acoustic nerves. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed malignant cells consistent with the initial bladder cancer. Meningeal metastases from bladder carcinoma are extremely rare. Systemic chemotherapy and its low meningeal diffusion may enhance the incidence of this complication. Bilateral hearing loss is a rare initial manifestation of meningeal carcinomatosis.