Stapes footplate fistula and recurrent meningitis

Meningitis, especially if recurrent, in a child with congenital SNHL should alert physicians to the possibility of a congenital anomaly of the ear resulting in a CSF fistula. It is also important to counsel parents and other physicians about this entity in children with congenital SNHL to heighten their awareness of the potentially devastating risks of suppurative otitis media in these patients.