The Ototoxic Effect of Kanamycin: A Clinical and Histological Study

Abstract

A patient with chronic pyelonephritis and uremia was treated with Kanamycin, 1 g daily for 11 days. This treatment caused grave damage to the internal ear, manifesting itself by complete deafness of both ears, as well as abolished caloric reaction of the right ear and reduced caloric reaction of the left. Subsequent histological examination of the temporal bones revealed degeneration of the neuroepithelial hair-cells everywhere in the internal ear, though chiefly in the basal part of the organ of Corti. The case demonstrates the great risk involved in the Kanamycin treatment of patients with impaired renal function. This risk must be supposed to be increased if the patient has been treated previously with streptomycin or dihydrostreptomycin.