Misdiagnosis complicating acupuncture.
A 33-year-old man, profoundly deaf since the age of 5 from meningitis, received 25 acupuncture treatments at a center in western Massachusetts. Subsequent hearing evaluation at the Yale New Haven Medical Center again confirmed his profound deafness. He also was found to have cerumen (rock-hard and long standing) in both ear canals. Final removal of the cerumen one week later permitted inspection of a normal eardrum on the right and a debris-filled retraction pocket on the left. The diagnosis of cholesteatoma was confirmed at surgery. Representatives of the medical profession should accept responsibility for adequate examination and diagnosis before starting treatment.
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D001299:Audiometry; D002571:Cerumen; D002781:Cholesteatoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D003638:Deafness / Q000628:therapy*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D004432:Ear, Middle; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male