Epitympanic osteoma of the middle ear: A case report and literature review.

Introduction: Contrary to osteomas and exostosis of the external ear canal, middle ear osteomas are rare benign tumors that are usually revealed by progressive hearing loss.

Case report: We here report the case of 56-year-old woman who had a left ear conductive hearing loss. A CT-scan showed a bone-density tumor in the left posterior epitympanum, hanging up to the tegmen tympani. A surgical middle ear exploration showed an epitympanic osteoma, confirmed by a histological exploration. The tumor was left in place and an ossicular prosthesis was inserted, which permitted a significant gain in the audiogram air-bone gap.

Discussion: Middle ear osteomas are rare benign tumors (31 cases described from 1964), with male preponderance (sex ratio: 1.75). They always present with a hearing loss, and the diagnosis is made by CT-scan. The treatment is surgical in cases of significant discomfort and generally produces a good improvement in symptoms.