Otolaryngology Case Reports (Jun 2023)
Exostosis of the internal auditory canal: A rare growth causing hearing loss?
Abstract
Introduction: Osteomas and exostosis of the internal auditory canal are rare slow growing bony tumours that can present with a wide variety of symptoms from hearing loss to sinusitis. Case 1: A 74 year old female presented with a three year history of right sided hearing loss with tinnitus. Audiometric testing and physical exam identified normal to profound sensorineural hearing loss of the right ear with normal vestibular and facial function. Computed tomography Imaging identified a right internal auditory canal exostosis causing significant narrowing. Case 2: A 12 year old female with right sided hearing loss first identified during routine hearing tests at age 5 had progressed in the last three months. Audiometric testing and examination showed right mild to moderate-severe sensorineural hearing loss with normal vestibular and facial function. Imaging identified bilateral exostoses causing mild narrowing. Conclusion: The first case reported a patient with normal vestibular, facial nerve and contralateral hearing who was managed conservatively with serial imaging and examinations. Some uncertainty remained of the causative nature of the bilateral exostoses in case 2 with conservative management also adopted. There is no clear consensus of optimal treatment for IAC bony tumours and decisions are largely dependent on symptom severity.
