Vascular anomalies of the middle ear are uncommon and, because aberrant internal carotid artery, among others, implies great risk at middle ear surgery, it must be remembered at the differential diagnosis. The patient may be asymptomatic, or complains of pulsatile tinnitus and conductive hearing loss. Computer tomography of the temporal bones and magnetic resonance imaging supplemented with magnetic resonance angiography can make the diagnosis. The authors present an aberrant internal carotid artery on a 13-year-old patient, whose diagnosis was performed by otoscopic examination, and imaging methods based on a previous clinical suspicion.
middle ear; congenital malformation; aberrant internal carotid artery
