Tumours of the middle ear and mastoid

ABSTRACT

Twenty two tumours of the middle ear and mastoid encountered between 1974 to 1985 showed a broad spectrum of histopathological lesions, Seven were benign [two osteomas, two haemangiomas and one each of adenoma, fibroma and leiomyoma], 10 were malignant and five were metastatic from thyroid [2], nasopharynx [2] and tibia [1]. Routine biopsy of all the granulomatous and neoplastic diseases of the ear is essential to recognise the nature of the lesion. Patients with malignant tumours usually present in late stage and rarely diagnosed early. Pre-operative clinical and radiological assessment of the extent of the carcinoma involving the middle ear and mastoid is inaccurate and exploration should be done with radical excision. A combination of radical removal of the tumour plus post-operative radiotherapy is the treatment of choice in primary carcinoma involving the middle ear and mastoid