title: Myocardial infarction as a rare cause of otalgia.
abstract: Aim. To present a case referred to our clinic with severe right ear pain but without any abnormal finding during otological examination and diagnosed as myocardial infarction and also to draw attention to otalgia which can occur secondary to myocardial infarction. Case Report. An 87-year-old female admitted with right ear pain lasting for nearly 12 hours and sweating on the head and neck region. On otolaryngologic examination, any pathological finding was not encountered. Her electrocardiogram revealed findings consistent with myocardial infarction. Her troponin values were 0.175 ng/L at 1 hour, and 0.574 ng/L at 3 hours. The patient was diagnosed as non-ST MI, and her required initial therapies were performed. On cardiac angiography, very severe coronary artery stenosis was detected, and surgical treatment was recommended for the patient. The patient who rejected surgical treatment was discharged with prescription of medical treatment. Conclusion. Especially in elderly patients with complaints of ear pain but without any abnormal finding on otoscopic examination, cardiac pathologies should be conceived.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Harran University Medical Faculty, 63100 Sanliurfa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Riza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dundar
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Mardin Government Hospital, 47000 Mardin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erkan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kulduk
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Mardin Government Hospital, 47000 Mardin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kemal Soy
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Nusaybin Government Hospital, 47000 Mardin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ersin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sengul
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Dicle University Medical Faculty, 21000 Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Faruk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ertas