title: Retained dental needle migration across the skull base to the cochlea presenting as hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Long-term retained foreign bodies in the human body have been reported across many specialties, but relatively few exist in the ENT literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present a case report of a patient with a broken dental needle fragment in the posterior oral cavity with subsequent migration to the cochlea over the course of 4 years, eventually leading to hearing loss. CT scan and middle ear exploration demonstrated a 4-cm metallic fragment abutting the base of the cochlea, immediately adjacent to the internal carotid artery.
  
  
  METHODS
  The needle segment was removed through an endaural approach without complication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postoperatively, the patient had improvements in PTA and speech discrimination, as well as the resolution of chronic otalgia and jaw pain. Imaging, audiologic results, and surgical details and pictures are presented herein.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, based on a thorough PubMed and Google Scholar search, there are no reports of such a foreign body migration from the oral cavity to the skull base.
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Justin T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: J Eric
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lupo
authors.forename: Herman A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Jenkins
mesh_terms: D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D003051:Cochlea / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009339:Needles; D019291:Skull Base / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome