Aural polyp with chronic suppurative otitis media dissembling glomus tympanicum

Abstract

Glomus tumors are benign, slow-growing tumors of the temporal bone and most commonly present as hearing loss and tinnitus with an intact tympanic membrane. Most of the time, the diagnosis is delayed and sometimes missed as it is associated with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). History of the disease and proper clinical examination followed by radiological investigations are required for diagnosis and management. Surgery is the treatment of choice, but larger tumors may require other modalities of treatment. Histopathology with immunohistochemistry confirms the diagnosis. We report a case of 63-year-old female patient with glomus tympanicum associated with CSOM. She had symptoms for the last 10 years, but the diagnosis was missed because of coexisting CSOM. She was diagnosed with the help of radiological investigative modalities. She underwent mastoidectomy with complete excision of tumor. She was managed successfully without recurrence. Glomus tumor is an uncommon disease in the middle ear, and sometimes, its diagnosis is missed because of the presence of other diseases. Radiology helps in diagnosis and management of the tumor. Complete surgical excision with regular follow-up prevents recurrence.

Keywords

• chronic suppurative otitis media
• glomus tympanicum
• histopathology
• high-resolution computed tomography
• temporal bone