Tuberculosis of the Middle Ear: Case Report

Abstract

Tuberculosis of the middle ear is rare. Its diagnosis is often late. We report the case of a 12-year-old child with chronic left otitis resistant to conventional medical treatment, evolving since the age of 5 years, complicated by cophosis and left facial paralysis. Computed tomography imaging of the rocks showed extensive lesions associating middle ear involvement, mastoiditis and sphenoid osteolysis. The diagnosis was oriented by the geographical origin, the notion of tuberculous contagion, the chronic otorrhoea resistant to conventional medical treatment, the facial paralysis occurring in a context of chronic otitis, the histological aspect +/- of the granulomatous tissue sampled in per operation and good post-operative evolution under anti-tuberculosis treatment. Tuberculosis of the middle ear should be considered in the face of chronic otitis and risk factors for tuberculosis. The search for dissemination must be systematic and treatment early in order to avoid auditory sequelae.