title: Tuberculous otitis media: a difficult diagnosis and report of four cases.
abstract: Tuberculous otitis media is a rare disease. Due to the condition's rarity and its usually indolent course, the diagnosis is often delayed. This can lead to irreversible complications, such as permanent hearing loss or facial nerve paralysis. Tuberculosis of the middle ear cleft, as this disease's first presentation, is indeed very rare. Surgery may be carried out prior to diagnosis occasionally, i.e., middle ear exploration for chronic middle ear disease. We present four cases of tuberculous otitis media which occurred as the first presentation of the disease. The patients did not present with the classic symptoms of middle ear tuberculosis. The diagnosis was based on the histology following middle ear exploration for chronic middle ear disease. None of the patients presented any other systemic involvement. We present a review of this disease's clinical symptoms and the diagnostic tests available.
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. vvital@med.auth.gr
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vital
authors.forename: Athanasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Printza
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zaraboukas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006099:Granuloma / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids