A patient with Hodgkin's disease and renal insufficiency became deaf while being treated with high dose oral furosemide. Cessation of furosemide was associated with improvement in his hearing. However, at the time of his death, 11 days after stopping the furosemide, significant hearing impairment was still present. It is suggested that oral furosemide be considered potentially ototoxic, particularly in patients with compromised renal function.