Sampath Chandra Prasad Rao¹, Ria Emmanuel²*, Ganga J Kamath³ and Sunena Saju³

¹Consultant, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
²Registrar, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
³Associate Consultant, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

*Corresponding Author: Ria Emmanuel, Registrar, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

Received: November 29, 2021; Published: January 20, 2021

Abstract

Retained foreign bodies in eustachian tubes can lead to dreaded complications and should be tackled meticulously. We present a case report of impacted ear mold in the eustachian tube leading to skull base osteomyelitis and its management. We also did an extensive literature review of foreign bodies in eustachian tube and its sequel.

Most common foreign bodies in the middle ear in adults are tympanostomy tubes, impression material used to make ear molds and sludge from welding. In case of dislodgement of ear mold into the middle ear, the site of impaction was eustachian tube opening in 46% cases. The literature review showed that the most common complication was hearing loss (36%) and ossicular disruption. In our case it also resulted in skull base osteomyelitis leading to facial nerve palsy.

Extreme caution and expertise is required in the management of the same. Piecemeal removal should be avoided and such cases should be managed by an experienced otologist. Simultaneous single stage Cochlear Implant for hearing restoration is a possibility in such cases where complete disease clearance is confirmed.

Keywords: Ear-mold Fitting; Foreign Body; Eustachian Tube; Skull Base Osteomyelitis; Sensorineural Hearing Loss; Facial Palsy; Subtotal Petrosectomy; Cochlear Implant

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Citation

Citation: Ria Emmanuel., et al. “Retained Foreign Body in the Eustachian Tube in a Case of Skull Base Osteomyelitis: A Case Report and Review of Literature". Acta Scientific Otolaryngology 4.2 (2022): 08-14.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2022 Ria Emmanuel., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.