Positional Vertigo and Unilateral Gradual Hearing Loss Following Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Case Report

In 2020, a case study was reported of a 42-year-old woman who experienced positional vertigo and unilateral gradual hearing loss, along with continuous tinnitus, following a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) for morbid obesity. The patient's symptoms, which began three months post-surgery and worsened over time, were accompanied by other minor complications such as menstrual irregularities, female androgenetic alopecia, and appetite alteration. Audiometric tests revealed mild sensorineural hearing loss with a higher magnitude in high-frequency tones, and acoustic reflex threshold showed neural pathway damage, particularly at high frequencies. The researchers suggested that these complications might be due to eustachian tube dysfunction caused by muscle relaxation, which could occur as a result of adipose tissue loss around the ear muscles. However, they noted that further evidence would be required to confirm whether these complications are attributable to LSG.