Osteoma of the cochlear promontory

Osteoma; Cochlea; Otolaryngology

The authors describe the case of a 21-year-old patient with a history of recurrent otitis media and placement of transtympanic tubes during childhood. The patient consulted the otorhinolaryngology professional because of muffled hearing and otalgia in the right ear that had been occurring for 6 months. During the objective examination, the otoscopy revealed a rounded structure, visible through the transparency of the tympanic membrane (Figure 1). The audiometry test showed thresholds within the normal range. A computed tomography scan of the ear showed a nodular bone lesion, with bilateral implantation in the cochlear promontory (Figures 2 and 3), compatible with the diagnosis of osteoma of the promontory. The patient has been under follow-up for 18 months, without further complaints.

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

The osteoma of the middle ear is a rare benign tumor.¹ The most frequent initial symptom is the hypoacusis of transmission,² however, in most cases it is asymptomatic. These are lesions of slow growth, and the conservative treatment³ is recommended with periodic monitoring in the absence of associated symptoms.

REFERENCES

• ¹
  Unal OF, Tosun F, Yetişer S, Dündar A. Osteoma of the middle ear. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2000;52(2):193-5.
• ²
  Silver FM, Orobello PW Jr, Mangal A, Pensak ML. Asymptomatic osteomas of the middle ear. Am J Otol. 1993;14(2):189-90.
• ³
  Cremers CW. Osteoma of the middle ear. J Laryngol Otol. 1985;99(4):383-6.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  May 2018

History

• Received
  18 July 2017
• Accepted
  23 Aug 2017