Hemangioma of the Tympanic Membrane: A Case and a Review of the Literature

Abstract

Hemangiomas of the external auditory canal, involving the posterior bony canal and the adjacent tympanic membrane, although rare, are considered a specific disease entity of the human external auditory canal. Hemangiomas of the tympanic membrane and/or external auditory canal are rare entities; there are 16 previous case reports in the literature. It is a benign vascular tumor. It generally occurs in males in the sixth decade of life. Total surgical excision with or without tympanic membrane grafting appears to be effective in the removal of this benign neoplasm. The authors present a case and a review of the literature discussing diagnostic and surgical approaches.

Mixed hemangioma of the external auditory canal and the tympanic membrane in a young woman: A case report

“…Hemangiomas may be asymptomatic, but usually patients complain of hearing loss, tinnitus, aural fullness, and otorrhea. As previous reports have already stated, 1,5,7–9 otoscopy typically reveals a dark purple mass in the EAC; a description consistent with our own finding. A review of the existing literature is summarized in Table 1.…”

“…The differential diagnosis of a hemangioma may be challenging as other vascular lesions of the ear need to be excluded, including arteriovenous malformations, carcinomas, melanomas, pyogenic granulomas, etc 4,8,9,11 . Diagnosis should be based on clinical examination, otoscopy, diagnostic audiological tests, and imaging.…”

Cavernous Hemangioma of the Eardrum And External Auditory Canal: Case Presentation And Review of Literature

“…More extended lesions in which the middle ear is involved require a postauricular approach with subsequent tympanoplasty, with or without mastoidectomy [8,9]. For hemangiomas involving only the tympanic membrane, the removal of the external layer of the eardrum is considered adequate [10]. In our case an endaural approach was initially used, but visualization and access of the most medial part of the tumor was poor due to excessive bleeding.…”

Otological Hemangioma: A Case Report and Literature Review

“…These lesions are seen predominantly in adult males with the majority being a cavernous hemangioma. 3 Majority of these arise from lamina propria of posterior half of TM and may have extensions to adjacent bony EAC…”

“…The examination often reveals a reddish to purple vascular mass which is usually seen over TM and EAC. Sometimes mass may be completely occluding EAC obstructing the view of the TM 3,4.…”