Intratympanic Membrane Cholesteotoma: An Unusual Rare Case - Abstract
Intraympanic membrane cholesteotoma without a preceding ear trauma or
surgery is a rare entity. Only few cases have been documented in the literature.
The exact etiology of this lesion is still unclear. We report an unusual case of an
intratympaniccholesteatoma in an adult patient. He is a 45-year-old male who
presented with ear fullness and hearing loss six months following an acute otitis media
without otorrhea or a tympanic membrane perforation. Physical exam showed a central
whitish area on the tympanic membrane. CT scan demonstrated thickening of the
tympanic membrane. On the audiogram, he had a 20-dB air-bone gap; tympanogram
showed a B-curve. We surgically explored his middle ear and encountered a
central tympanic membrane 5X3 mm cholesteatoma with intact middle ear cavity.
Accordingly we performed a tympanoplasty. The gold standard for diagnosis of
tympanic membrane cholesteotoma is oto-microscopy. This early recognition of the
cholesteatoma prevented the patient from suffering the consequences of the middle
ear cholesteatoma. We recommend a high index of suspicion to diagnosis and treat
this entity early, in order to avoid long term complications.