Primary adenocarcinoma of the middle ear

One case of primary adenocarcinoma of the middle ear is reported, which developed from a chronic otitis media. Histological examination established the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. Its clinical appearance was benign, being restricted to the middle ear and tympanic membrane and with no bone destruction or metastases. Two years after local surgery there was no evidence of recurrence.     

Primary melanoma of the middle ear

We present a case of a 52-year-old white female with what we believe is the first documented example of a primary melanoma of the middle ear. Multiple myringotomies and two tube insertions over a 14-month period were curried out until frank hemorrhage was encountered on the last one. Middle ear exploration found the lesion to be a primary melanoma. The supposed course of her diseased ear is discussed as regards the lag between effusion and frank blood when tumor was finally hit on the last myringotomy.     

Primary middle ear schwannoma

Schwannomas of the middle ear may originate from the nerves of the middle ear cavity or by extensions from neighboring structures. We present a case of a 51-year-old female patient with primary middle ear schwannoma believed to arise from Jacobson's nerve. The tumor was easily divided from the facial nerve and the chorda tympani nerve. Erosion of the promontory was noted, and the jugular foramen and posterior wall of the ear canal were preserved without destruction. The mass was successfully removed by a canal down mastoidectomy procedure, while preserving the hearing and facial nerve functions of the patient. To our knowledge, this is only the second reported case of a patient with Jacobson's nerve schwannoma.     

Primary monomorphic adenoma of the middle ear

The benign, monomorphic adenoma, derived from the respiratory epithelium of the middle ear, is a well circumscribed, greyish, avascular tumor. Its histology — documented by light and electron micrographs contained in this report — supports a distinct entity and pathogenesis apart from the malignant adenocarcinoma. Utilizing two case reports, this compendium emphasizes the clinical presentations, as well as radiographic and audiometrical characteristics, of the tumor. The first case represents the typical tumor with conductive hearing loss. The second case is the first reported facial paralysis associated with hemorrhagic infarction of an adenoma which was reversible by surgical resection of the tumor. Based on the histology and four year postoperative follow-up, the authors conclude the adenoma may be effectively managed by surgical resection.     

Primary adenocarcinoma of the middle ear.

Primary adenocarcinoma of the middle ear is rare. It may or may not be associated with chronic suppurative otitis media. After the exclusion of a primary site elsewhere, the tumor should be managed by surgery and postoperative radiotherapy, especially if tumor excision is incomplete. We report a case in which primary papillary adenocarcinoma developed in the middle ear, possibly due to aberrant ceruminous gland elements. The findings prior to histologic examination were unusual in that they were consistent with a tumor of the glomus tympanicum or glomus jugulare.     

耳后乳突皮瓣二期修复外伤后耳轮部分缺损

目的 探索外伤后耳轮部分缺损的修复方法.方法 对21例外伤后耳轮部分缺损的患者应用耳后乳突皮瓣进行二期修复.Ⅰ期手术前评估耳郭前面及后面组织缺损面积,根据缺损大小设计、形成蒂在后的耳后乳突区皮瓣,将缺损耳郭后缘皮肤与耳后乳突区切口缝合,形成耳后一整体创面,将耳后皮瓣向前推进缝合于耳郭前层皮肤.Ⅰ期术后6周行Ⅱ期手术,耳后皮瓣断蒂,皮瓣折叠形成耳轮,继发创面直接缝合或另切取皮片植皮修复.结果 21例患者皮瓣全部成活,无血运障碍、感染及坏死等并发症发生.再造耳轮轮廓清晰,外形良好,再造耳与健侧基本对称.随访2个月～1年,效果良好.结论 应用耳后乳突皮瓣二期修复耳轮部分缺损是一种安全有效的办法.     

Primary adenocarcinoma of the middle ear.

Two patients with primary adenocarcinoma of the middle ear displayed symptoms in the affected ear many years before their condition was diagnosed as adenocarcinoma. Treatment included simple extirpation of the tumor, radical mastoidectomy with or without radiation. A review of the literature shows 11 cases reported previously. Follow-up of the patients for more than four years revealed four deaths in the reported cases-one from causes unrelated to the tumor and the others showing only local invasion without distant metastases. These tumors grow slowly and have a low-grade of malignancy.     

Primary adenomatous neoplasm of the middle ear

Adenomatous lesions of the temporal bone are seldom encountered in clinical practice. Four cases of primary adenocarcinoma of the middle ear are reported. All four patients presented with a mass behind an intact tympanic membrane. Two of the four patients had received radiation to the head and neck area 10 or more years prior to their developing adenocarcinoma of the middle ear space. Although this tumor is locally invasive, it does not appear to be highly aggressive and can be treated by local excision, i.e., mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty.     

Primary ciliary dyskinesia and the middle ear

The middle ear cavity and the eustachian tube contain a well-functioning mucociliary clearance system. To learn more about the importance of this mucociliary clearance, we studied patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia, in whom mucociliary clearance is absent. Thirty-six patients were investigated by means of a questionnaire; in 16 of these patients, otological and audiological studies could be performed. In patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia, a discrepancy was found between subjective ear complaints and the actual middle ear function. Moreover, it appeared that for the middle ear system, mucociliary clearance is of importance only in the first 3 decades of life. With aging, however, a deficient mucociliary clearance system in the middle ear and eustachian tube can be fully compensated for.     

Primary mucosal malignant melanoma of the middle ear.

Only one case of primary malignant melanoma of the middle ear has been reported in the literature to date. We report a case of middle ear and nasopharyngeal malignant melanoma where the primary is likely to have arisen in the middle ear and discuss the relevant literature.     

Primary adenocarcinoma of the middle ear and temporal bone

Primary adenocarcinoma of the temporal bone is a rare disorder. Fewer than 40 cases have been reported in the English literature, most of these being single case reports. Exclusion of metastatic adenocarcinoma is imperative. Adenocarcinomas must be differentiated from benign adenomas. Adenocarcinomas are best managed by aggressive surgical resection, with postoperative irradiation used in cases of incomplete resection or high-grade tumors.     

Primary cholesteatoma of the middle ear and petrosal bone

Petrosal cholesteatomas are rare lesions, which may be primary or acquired in nature. We report a case of primary cholesteatoma in petrous bone occurring in 51-year old woman who presented with a unilateral facial nerve palsy and conductive hearing loss, despite normal tympanic membrane appearance. Early diagnosis was facilitated by computed tomography scanning and magnetic resonance imaging. Complete cholesteatoma removal was accomplished using a transtemporal supralabyrinthine approach, which allowed hearing preservation. Facial nerve function is the main complication of these lesion. We suggest that use of CT scanning and MRI in unilateral conductive hearing loss may allow the earlier detection of the most cases of petrosal cholesteatomas.     

Primary cutane manifestation of a precursor-B-lymphoblastic lymphoma in the external ear

A Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) represents nearly three percent of all malignant tumors. Thirty to fourty percent of the lymphomas are located extra-nodal. Within the head and neck region they might occur in the tonsils, tongue base or the sinuses, the larynx and the pharynx. A cutaneous manifestation is rare. We report on an extranodal B-cell-lymphoma of the ear in a young woman. She reported on a piercing of the pinna months before with a subsequent infection. This infection led to the development of a massive ear tumor. Histologic examination resulted in the final diagnosis. In spite of the considerable extent of the lymphoma there was no systemic manifestation and a total remission was induced by chemotherapy before adjuvant radiation.     

Primary papillary adenocarcinoma confined to the middle ear and mastoid

Primary adenocarcinoma is a rare tumor of the middle ear and temporal bone; its most frequent symptoms are hearing loss, otalgia, and facial paralysis. Otoscopic examination of a 27-year-old man revealed purulent discharge in the ear canal, diffuse edema, and hypertrophy of the right tympanic membrane. He presented with a grade III (House-Brachman) facial paralysis and right conductive hearing loss with a history of aural discharge for 6 months, otalgia, and facial weakness for 2 days. Computed tomography of the temporal bone showed an opacity filling the tympanic cavity, antrum, and aditus. Tympanotomy revealed diffuse edema of the middle ear mucosa, and granulation tissue was encountered during mastoidectomy filling the antrum and periantral cells and eroding the fallopian canal at the level of the oval window. After the histopathological examination revealed papillary adenocarcinoma, a subtotal temporal bone resection, facial nerve segmenter resection, and end-to-end anastomosis of the facial with the hypoglossal nerves were performed. The importance of histopathological examination in all cases of chronic otitis media with granulation tissue is stressed. Received: 9 February 2000 / Accepted: 5 September 2000