title: An unusual presentation: primary tuberculosis of the middle ear cleft.
abstract: Tuberculosis rarely affects the middle ear cleft; therefore, except for those working in close association with respiratory physicians, the disease is a curiosity and not often considered in the differential diagnosis of otorrhea. The diagnosis is thus made too late, with resulting complications such as irreversible hearing loss and facial nerve paralysis. A case report and review of the literature are presented, emphasizing that tuberculosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic ear infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ozcelik
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ataman
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gedikoglu
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis*