Traumatic perilymphatic fistula caused by a camellia branch: A case report

Abstract

Traumatic perilymphatic fistula with pneumolabyrinth and stapediovestibular dislocation is rare, and these treatments are still controversial. A 38-year-old man presented to our hospital with vertigo and right-ear hearing loss. The symptoms occurred immediately after a traumatic ear injury after falling on a branch of a camellia tree. Computed tomography showed the presence of air in the vestibule and stapediovestibular dislocation. He underwent surgery treatment. The stapes was found to be depressed into the vestibule, which was cracked, with a piece of the tree branch lodged in the crack. Hence, we did not reposition the stapes. We sealed the oval window using perichondrium, a cartilagenous columella was placed. In this case, immediate surgical intervention was necessary to prevent infection. There was no additional inner ear damage and the patient’s hearing was partially restored, removing the stapes seems to have been an acceptable solution.

Keywords

• perilymphatic fistula
• sudden sensorineural hearing loss
• trauma
• vertigo