Objective Tinnitus due to Spontaneous Temporomandibular Joint Herniation Treated by Reconstruction with Titanium Mesh / 대한이비인후과학회지

Herniation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) into the external auditory canal (EAC) is known to be associated with a defect of the anterior wall of the EAC. Spontaneous herniation of TMJ into EAC is very rare and can induce clicking tinnitus, conductive hearing loss, otalgia, otorrhea and even no symptom. Here we report a very interesting case of spontaneous TMJ herniation, which resulted in severe and annoying clicky tinnitus and otalgia. There was no response to the initial conservative management, so surgical correction of TMJ herniation using titanium mesh was performed. After the surgery, the annoying clicky tinnitus completely disappeared. This study suggests that tinnitus caused by TMJ herniation be considered as another type of surgically curable objective tinnitus.

A Case of External Auditory Canal Stenosis due to Paget's Disease of Temporal Bone / 대한이비인후과학회지

Paget's disease is a localized bone disorder that affects widespread areas of skeleton characterized by increased bone remodeling. It is a chronic, progressive disease of unknown etiology. The pathologic process is initiated by hyperactive osteoclastic bone resorption followed by a compensatory increase in the osteoblastic new bone formation. New pagetic bones are disorganized and more susceptible to deformities and fractures. Paget's disease can affect one or multiple bones in the systemic skeleton, including the temporal bone. We experienced a case of chronic otitis media combined with an external auditory canal stenosis due to Paget's disease of the temporal bone. We report clinicopathologic features of this rare case.

A Case of Iatrogenic Epidermoid Cyst in the Temporal Bone Following Tympanoplasty through Retroauricular Approach

Iatrogenic epidermoid cyst of the retroauricular area after ear surgery is extremely unusual. Epidermoid cyst is an intradermal or subcutaneous sac-like structure which is lined with well differentiated stratified squamous epithelium containing keratohyalin granules. These cysts are thought to arise as a result of implantation of epidermal cells into the deeper dermal elements by trauma or previous surgery. We report a 42-year-old female with retroauricular epidermoid cyst invading into the temporal bone who underwent tympanoplasty 15 years ago. The lesion was surgically excised, histopathologic examination revealed an epidermoid cyst. Therefore we report the case along with review of literature.